Ed Edd n Eddy - Duelist's World
by WritingwithGusto
Summary: The Eds are pulled out of their normal lives and into one of the craziest scenarios they've ever been thrown into. The only problem? It revolves around the Duel Monsters card game; something they haven't had much practice with. Can they learn and adapt to the challenge, and win it all? Or will they end up in WAY over their heads, and fall at the hands of their opponents? (DEAD FIC)
1. Chapter 1 - Unfamiliar Territory

**So, in an effort to pull myself out of my writing slump, I have decided to start a new project.**

 **And what better project than an EEnE/YGO Crossover?**

 **So, first to preface, it is not going to JUST be the Eds (but we'll get to that when we get to that). This first chapter is just introducing the concept, a conflict, and a couple of characters.**

 **Also, if any of you are expecting Links to be in this, they will be, just not at the start. It will take me a while to make some custom Link Monsters and stuff (on top of all the OTHER custom stuff I am making), so I am not going to have them early on.**

 **So with that in mind, welcome to 'Ed Edd n Eddy - Duelist's World'.**

* * *

It all started with a simple day in the Cul-De-Sac, on the last day of their much-needed summer vacation. It had been a good year for the Eds, and they had nothing to worry about, especially considering the new sensation becoming popular…

"I'll summon Celtic Guardian, and attack your Mighty Guard with it, ending the game."

... Duel Monsters.

It had been made within the last year or two, and the Cul-De-Sac kids mostly got bitten. The Eds were obviously going to get into it, but Kevin, Jimmy, and even Rolf had gotten involved (though he was not very good so far). And with it being their last day of vacation, they gathered together to enjoy some good duels.

They had been Dueling for a good few hours, with matches like Eddy vs Ed, Double D vs Rolf, Kevin vs Jimmy, and so forth. Right now they were on match number 13, with Eddy vs Double D. With his Celtic Guardian on the field, and Double D at only 200 Life Points, it seemed like Eddy had this in the bag…

"I'm afraid not, Eddy! I activate my face-down, Negate Attack. Now, I can nullify your cards attack and end your Battle Phase."

Eddy snapped his finger, and all he could say was "Darn. Your go."

Double D drew a card from the top of his deck, and looked at it with satisfaction. "Remind me Eddy, you're at 800 Life Points, correct?"

Eddy did not like that look in Double D's eyes. It was a look that told him that he was going to lose. "Yeah…?"

"I activate Hinotama, relieving you of 500 of those remaining Life Points."

Yep, Eddy definitely didn't like where this was going.

"I'll then tribute my Mighty Guard to summon Pendulum Machine. Using his 1750 Attack points, I'll destroy your Celtic Guardian, dealing you 350 Damage in the process."

Eddy tried to look at his face downs to see if he had anything he could use in response, and he did not. He had expended his 'Swords of Revealing Light' and his 'Waboku' already, and he had not drawn his 'Negate Attack' this duel. All he can do is take it.

"That sucks," Eddy whined, "I was doing so good there!"

"Oh come now, Eddy," Double D told him happily, "Five wins out of six is still a very good ratio."

Eddy shrugged. "That's true."

Looking over to his clock, he saw that it was 3:30. They had been dueling for about 3 hours, and there were still hours of daylight left for them to enjoy.

"Well, summer vacation isn't over yet," Kevin declared. "C'mon, let's go play some kickball!"

The teams were decided on rather quick, and it basically boiled down to 'Team Eddy vs Team Kevin'. They ate up the rest of their day playing sports and video games, and it was the most fun the boys had in a while.

Knowing that made him dread the fact that they had to go back to school.

* * *

The next day came faster than anyone would have liked. Most of the Cul-De-Sac kids had entered 10th grade today (with the exception of Sarah and Jimmy, who were stuck back in 8th grade), and collectively, very few of them were looking forward to the year. It was almost enough for some of them to wish for another day of summer vacation.

Yet here they were, stuck back in high school, just waiting for the day to be over. They were currently sitting in the gymnasium, waiting for the class to be over. They knew the schools wouldn't assign them much work at all the first week, so it was essentially a test of patience - a test the Eds were quickly losing.

Even Double D hated the first week back, since there was nothing of substance for him to do. The only thing they had to look forward to that day was lunch period, so that they could duel. They would need a miracle if they were to make it through the week.

"I can't believe this," Eddy groaned in annoyance, "We were having the time of our lives yesterday, and now we're stuck back in school!"

Ed nodded, as Double D told him "Well, I wish we could skip the orientation too, Eddy. But sadly, there are new Freshmen every year, and they have to give them the information. And that unfortunately means we have to sit through it every year."

Eddy sighed, because he knew that this was true, and he couldn't do a thing about it.

"Let's just hope that the bell rings soon, so we can do something fun."

And as if on cue, the bell went off, signaling the lunch break for the Eds. They made their way to the exit, but as they did, they ended up being trampled by the swarm of students around them.

Before they could react, each of the Eds were knocked unconscious...

* * *

The Eds finally awoke, their bodies riddled with pain.

Eddy was the first to come back to his senses, and as his eyes opened, he noticed that the surroundings felt very unfamiliar. It looked like a hotel room, but it was fancier than any he had ever been in. He had only one response to this...

"This better be a dream!"

Eddy, being the loudest of the three, woke up Double D and Ed, who were lying next to him.

"Eddy, what happened?" Double D asked, "Where are we?"

"WE ARE IN THE HOTEL OF REVIVAL FROM 'THE DIVINE REALM'!"

Choosing to ignore Ed, Eddy stood up and felt a little woozy once his feet hit the ground. _'That must have been one heck of a trampling,'_ He thought, as he surveyed the room again, noticing a large cardboard box on a dresser, with a note saying 'For the Eds'.

He slowly pulled it down and brought it to the ground, opening it with great hesitation. Pushing the packing peanuts aside, he found three small rectangular devices; one green, one yellow, one red.

"Hey sockhead, you're smart. Tell me what the heck these things are!"

Double D came over immediately, and took one of the three machines into his hand, analyzing it with great care. He fiddled with it for a few moments, before a compartment came open, and the screen flashed to life.

 _"Hello, and thank you for purchasing the Duel Disk System!"_

Hearing this automated voice made Eddy remember something. Recently, they had gotten into the Anime, and seen Seto Kaiba unveil something called a 'Duel Disk'. But this machine looked nothing like what was shown. If anything, it looked like some sort of incredibly advanced PDA.

 _"Please take a few minutes to configure this device for optimal efficiency."_

Eddy raised an eyebrow, and pulled out the yellow 'Duel Disk'. With his other hand, he pulled out a green Disk placed it aside, noting that he would give this one to Ed. He fiddled around with his own device for a few seconds, and suddenly, a white energy blade shot out from it.

"Whoa!"

Eddy dropped the Duel Disk on the ground, and the blade disappeared the moment it left Eddy's hands. The two Eds heard their stupid friend gasp, as he declared "It is a magic Duel Disk! We ARE in a magic hotel!"

Eddy looked back to Double D, and said "So... maybe we should read how they work."

Double D nodded. "Yeah..."

* * *

The Eds had luckily found an instruction manual within the box, and spent the next hour figuring out how the machines worked. It was a long and arduous process, but eventually, they had the hang of it. With the Duel Disks set up to their personal preferences (including their blade color), they decided that it was finally time to figure out where they were.

They made their way out of the bedroom and through the living room, and the moment they opened the door, they saw a terrace in front of them (which brought them to the conclusion that these were more like apartments or condos than a hotel room). Looking over the side, they got a full view of where they were, and it was quite something.

There were many people walking around with Duel Disks equipped, and no matter what direction they looked in, there was a Duel happening between two or more people. It was almost like they were staring at a variant of Duelist Kingdom.

"Hot damn," Eddy declared, "There are so many monsters we haven't seen. It's awesome! We have to face some of these people!"

"But Eddy," Double D said, trying to calm his friend, "We need to find out where we are!"

But as soon as Double D said this, he noticed that Eddy was already heading down the stairway, with (as Double D knew it) that 'I'm about to do something stupid' look. "Ed, we need to go after him!"

And as soon as he looked over to Ed, he saw that he was already heading down the stairs as well. With a sigh of defeat, Double D ran after them, determined to stop Eddy from doing something dumb.

When he finally caught up to his two friends, he saw Eddy run up to a young man and demand, "Hey! Duel me!"

The young man looked over, and the Eds got a good look at him. His hair was dark purple and his eyes were a bright reddish-brown, and he was dressed in a blue-lined black coat, a purple undershirt, blue jeans, and black sneakers. He glanced at the Eds with an apathetic expression.

"No."

"What?! Why not?" Eddy shouted, his face scrunching up with indignation.

"You're clearly new here," said the man, turning away from them. "If you weren't, you'd know not to challenge a competitor."

"Competit- What does that even mean!?" Eddy yelled. "You're just looking for an excuse to get out of losing, aren't you?"

"Uh, Eddy," Double D said, grabbing his friend by the shoulder, "I would reccommend against that until we find out where we are. We don't know what kind of things could be here."

"I'd listen to your friend there." The young man asked, "It would not be wise to lose your first duel here."

"Oh please, we're some of the best duelists in our school!"

"Well aren't you special?" The man said sarcastically, "But unfortunately, that means nothing here. Now, I'll warn you one last time..." He turned back around, and his visage darkened. "Back off."

Eddy scoffed. "You think I'm afraid of you? What, is this gonna turn into the anime? Are we gonna 'go to the Shadow Realm' or something?"

The man remained silent for a few seconds, as he pulled out a deck from a case on his side. "Don't say I didn't warn you," he told them, "And in fact, to make this more interesting, I'll show you exactly why you don't go challenging people on impulse."

He pointed to Ed and Double D, and declared "You two can join in and help your friend. I'll beat all three of you."

Eddy just stared for a moment at this, and declared "Three against one? Are you sure? We'll curb stomp you!"

"We'll play under irregular tag team rules," the young man declared. "Both sides' Life Points will be set to 8000, and you three will go in order. However, if you go first, none of you can attack until I have had a turn."

Eddy opened his mouth to respond, but Double D grabbed him by the shoulders and turned him around. "Eddy, I seriously believe you should reconsider!"

"Oh come on, Double D," Eddy whispered, "It's three against one. We got this, even if the Life Point count is a little higher than we're used to."

"I don't know, Eddy. There's something about how nonchalantly he made such a brazen challenge that... is very disconcerting."

"Oh relax, sockhead! It's a game of Duel Monsters! What's the worst that could happen?"

Double D was about to respond, but Eddy turned around before he could. "You're on!" He declared. "We'll take you down... uh..."

The man pulled out a dark purple Duel Disk, and a magenta energy blade appeared as soon as he put his deck in it. "Robert's my name."

"Fine then, Robert! We'll take you down!"

The Ed's pulled out their Duel Disks, and each of their energy blades appeared; Ed's bright blue, Double D's orange, and Eddy's red. A crowd began to gather around the four, many of them murmuring about how 'this will be a total sweep' or 'They're doomed'.

"Alright then," Robert declared. "I'll see to it you understand what you're getting into. Let's duel!"

(Robert's LP: **8000** )

(The Ed's LP: **8000** )

"I'll start us off," Robert said. "I play the spell card 'Sanctuary Draw'! With this, I can draw 2 cards in exchange for not Special Summoning this turn!" He takes two cards off the top of his deck. "And I'll end my turn by setting a card face-down!" He declared, then pointed to Ed, "So next, it will be that one's turn."

"Ok, purple-haired weirdo!" Ed said happily, drawing a card, "I summon Master Kyonshee!"

(An undead monk with his face concealed appears. **ATK: 1750** /DEF: 1000)

A collective noise of confusion was heard from the crowd. "Quite the classic monster you have there," Robert said, "But he won't last, I'm afraid."

"This guy has gotten me through many Duels! And now, I'll attack you with him!"

"I'm afraid not," Robert told him, "I activate the effect of Sanctuary Draw!"

"What?" Double D asked in shock. "I thought you already activated the effect!"

"Sanctuary Draw has a second effect when its in the Graveyard! I can banish it from my grave, and I take no battle or effect damage until my next Standby Phase!"

Double D gasped upon hearing that. "So, what you're saying is... our attacks are pointless?"

"Essentially."

Ed just looked to his allies, and back to his hand. "I set one card face-down and end my turn!"

Double D nodded, and drew his card. Looking to his hand, he saw something interesting. _'If we can't damage him,'_ He thought, _'Then at the very least, I can bolster our defenses. And I have just the monster to do it.'_

"I'll sacrifice my Alpha, Beta, and Gamma the Magnet Warriors from my hand, to Special Summon Valkyrion, the Magna Warrior!"

(Three magnet-themed robots appear, and combine to form and even bigger magnet themed robot. **ATK: 3500** /DEF: 3850)

"And with this, I end my turn!"

Eddy drew his card immediately, and hatched a plan. "I play Black Luster Ritual! By sacrificing my Celtic Guardian and Obnoxious Celtic Guard, I ritual summon Black Luster Soldier!"

(Two elven swordsmen turn into energy, and a black-armored warrior appears out of the energy. **ATK: 3000** /DEF: 2500)

"And with that, I end my turn!"

There was talk among the crowd. Eddy could occasionally make out words like "casual" and "old-fashioned", and he blushed when he realized they were speaking derogatorily about the Eds and their decks.

"I think I understand now," Robert said, "It's a shame that you got in that far over your heads. I'll try to make this quick and painless. I draw!"

For a moment, the Eds had to wonder what Robert was thinking, as his expression changed from apathy to stone cold serious. "To start," he said, revealing a card to them, "I activate Raigeki! This card destroys ALL monsters you control!"

A lightning bolt shot out from the card, striking down all three of the Eds' monsters in a matter of seconds.

"Then, I'll summon Goblindgergh," Robert continued. "And the moment I summon it, I'll activate Copy Knight, a Trap that turns into a replica of Goblindgergh!"

(A small goblin in a cropduster-style plane appears. **ATK: 1400** /DEF: 0)

(A knight made of light appears, then shapeshifts into another Goblindbergh. **ATK: 0** /DEF: 0)

"Next, I'll activate Goblindbergh's effect!" Robert continued, "I can special summon a Level 4 or lower monster from my hand, in exchange for changing Goblindbergh to Defense Mode! So, I'll summon Gagaga Magician!"

(A young, silver haired sorcerer appears. **ATK: 1500** /DEF: 1000)

(Goblindbergh's DEF: **0** )

"Next, I'll activate the Spell Card, Gagagawind! With this, I can summon Gagaga Girl from my hand as a Level 4 monster!"

(A young, blonde haired sorceress appears. **ATK: 1000** /DEF: 800)

The Eds were dumbfounded by this display. They had never seen or even heard of any of the cards that Robert was playing, but they seemed very powerful. But at the same time, they had to wonder, what could he do with an army of small monsters like that?

As soon as they started to wonder, they heard whispers of 'Robert's power play'...

"I overlay my two Goblindbergh to xyz summon Gagaga Samurai!"

The Eds could only watch in shock, and question what he meant by 'overlay' and 'xyz summon'. The two Goblindbergh turned into orbs of energy, and went into a vortex. And out of this vortex appeared a red and black clad ronin, wielding duel katana.

( **ATK: 1900** /DEF: 1600)

"And that is only half the trouble! I now overlay my Gagaga Magician and Gagaga Girl to xyz summon my second Gagaga Samurai!"

( **ATK: 1900** /DEF: 1600)

"Wh-what the...?" Eddy stammered, trying to comprehend what the heck he just saw. He had never even heard of 'xyz summoning', and now this guy had just done it twice. Where did this come from, and why had he never heard of it?

"Then, I activate Gagaga Tag from my hand! With this card, all Gagaga monsters I control gain 500 attack for each Gagaga monster on my field."

(Both Gagaga Samurai's ATK: **2900** )

"And to end it, I activate the ability of both of my Gagaga Samurai! By detaching an overlay unit from each of them, they can each attack you twice! And since you have no monsters to protect you..."

The Eds could only stare in amazement at the sight before them. In a single turn, he had done more moves than the three of them combined, and the end result was enough to end the duel in a single turn.

So, unless Ed's face down was a Negate Attack or Waboku, they were doomed.

"Sorry to say, but it's over." Robert told them, "Gagaga Samurai! Attack!"

The two ronin-style warriors immediately charged, the first one slashing at Ed, and the second one slashing at Double D. Eddy could hear them scream as the slashes went through, and saw them get flung back onto the ground.

That served as an omen for Eddy, and one he did not like.

One of the ronin then aimed his blade at Eddy, and as soon as the blade connected, he understood why they screamed...

Pain began to run through his system within moments, and it all seemed to center where the slice was. It was almost as if a real sword was cutting him. But that couldn't be right...

Could it?

He didn't have time to ponder this question, as the pain was too much. His vision began to fade, and his consciousness followed suit...

* * *

Robert deactivated his Duel Disk, and placed his cards back in his deck holder. The crowd began to scatter, and Robert was going to walk off...

"You're just going to leave them like that?"

He looked over to see a red-haired girl of about 16, with golden eyes. She wore a pink undershirt with red stripes on the sleeves, with a yellow top over it, a red skirt complemented by black leggings, and red shoes. **(1)**

"The service bots will get them," Robert replied to the girl, "You've been here long enough to know that."

The girl fiddled with the blue bracelet on her left wrist. "It just seems a little unfair... I mean, you beat them into the ground, and didn't even give them an opportunity to fight back. I figure common courtesy would be to at least bring them back to their rooms."

Robert rolled his eyes and says "I hate it when you use common courtesy against me."

The girl smiled. "Besides that, these floors are filthy. That much you can't deny."

Robert sighed and offered her a light smile. "Alright, you got me there."

Robert picked up both Eddy and Ed, slinging them over his shoulders, while the girl picked up Double D, and they carried them up the stairs. They looked to the room numbers, and saw a list of the recipients, until they finally found the one listing 'Eddy' (the only of the three names Robert had actually gotten).

Taking Eddy's Duel Disk and using the auto unlock function, the door opened for Robert, and he dropped the two on the couch, placing Eddy's Duel Disk on his arm again. The girl placed Double D on the bed, and asked "So, what do you think is going to happen to them?"

Robert shrugged. "According to the rules, when someone is brought into this hub for the first time, they have the next day to tie up any loose ends in their world." He began to walk toward the door, and say "After that, it is in the hands of the higher-ups."

The girl sighed. "I can only imagine what is running through their minds right now."

Robert placed a hand on her shoulder. "Who knows?"

Without another word, the two left the rooms, closing the door behind them. The Eds were alone in the room, completely unconscious, and completely unaware of what would come next.

* * *

 **Footnotes**

 **(1): Bonus points if you know what character this is. Hint is that she comes from an actual Yu-gi-oh! Series.**

 **Custom Cards**

 **Sanctuary Draw (SPELL CARD): Draw 2 cards. You cannot Special Summon monsters the turn you activate this effect. You can banish this card from your GY; you take no battle or effect damage until your next Standby Phase.**

 **So, that does it for the first chapter. What do you guys think? Love it? Hate it? Indifferent to it?**

 **Well, feel free to review to tell me. While you do that, I am going to continue working. The concept is in my brain, and now I am going to work with it.**

 **Until next time!**


	2. Chapter 2 - Unplanned Return

**So, this will be a bit more slow-paced chapter, but I think you guys might like it.**

 **Also, forgot to disclaim: I don't own ANYTHING I am crossing over with. They are all owned by their respective owners. The only thing I own thus far is Robert, and he's an OC.**

 **Now, with that stuff out of the way, let's continue.**

* * *

Eddy woke up with a start, cold sweat drenching his body.

Scanning his surroundings, Eddy found that he was in fact in his room. It was dark, and his clock told him it was 3:35 AM. Looking over his body, he saw a few of the bruises he got from the trampling, but no 'Duel Disk' on his arm.

A sigh of relief escaped his lips. "Oh, thank god! It was only a dream," he declared, and then shuddered. "More like a trampling-induced nightmare..."

Eddy got up, and immediately felt his stomach rumble. He was really hungry, likely because he had just slept for (if his math was correct) about 15 hours. With his stomach doing the thinking, Eddy headed to the kitchen and made a sandwich.

As soon as he returned to his room, sandwich in hand, he noticed a small rectangular device on his dresser. It looked familiar to Eddy...

A little more familiar than he would have liked.

Finishing off his sandwich, Eddy looked at to the device, and the shock nearly caused him to choke. As it turns out, the familiarity of the item was no coincidence. It was the very same device that he had been using in his 'dream'.

"It can't be!" His voice rose nearly to a shriek. "That was just... a dream! It had to be!"

Eddy picked up the machine, and brought it to his wrist. A latch came out immediately, attaching it to his arm, and he saw the machine activate. He sat down on his bed, completely dumbstruck.

"B-but that would mean..." Eddy sputtered, trying to remember what supposedly went on. "That we... we got our asses handed to us by some jerk with purple hair!"

He stood up in annoyance, and looked to the Duel Disk on his arm. Memories of the 'dream' kept flooding his mind, as he remembered the hour they spent customizing the Duel Disks. One of the first things they had done was put each other into their list of 'Contacts'...

Without a second to waste, Eddy went to said list, and tapped on Double D's icon. It began to ring idly, in a similar fashion to a phone, as he waited for his answer. After about three or four rings, Eddy finally got an answer.

"Hello?"

Eddy smiled, knowing that it worked. Double D sounded very groggy - _'He must have just woken up,'_ Eddy rationalized - and probably didn't realize what he was answering.

"Hey sockhead." Eddy said, trying to keep his tone serious. "Are you all right?"

"Of course, Eddy. Why do you ask?"

Eddy couldn't help but let out an exhausted sigh. "It was one heck of an experience, what with the trampling, then Robert, and I was worried tha-"

"Wait a minute..." Double D interrupted, clearly shocked. "Robert? What are you talking about?"

Eddy rolled his eyes, and asked his friend "Have you even noticed what the heck you're calling me on?"

The line went silent for a few moments, and then Eddy could hear Double D scream.

 _'And... there it is.'_ Eddy thought.

"This can't be real!" exclaimed Double D. "I thought that was all a dream!"

"So did I," Eddy told him, "But apparently not."

"Eddy, how can you be so calm about this!?"

"Honestly, I don't think panicking is going to help. Now can you keep it down? My parents are gonna ask a whole lot of questions if they find out that I'm calling someone at 3:40!"

"R-right, sorry..." The line went silent once again, this time persisting for about a minute. "So, what should our first course of action be?"

Eddy thought for a few seconds, and the answer became clear. "Let's get Ed, and head to the Junkyard!"

* * *

They spent an hour alone in the junkyard, discussing the incident in full detail, just to make absolutely sure it was real. All of the details lined up, and despite their perspectives being different, the major details were the same from each side. That could only mean two possible things...

Either they all had the same exact dream at the same exact time, or they really were sent to another world. And to them, having the exact same dream down to the TINIEST details sounds like the more unlikely.

Eventually, they came to the agreement that even if they were sent to another world, they couldn't tell anyone.

The boys planned to go the entire day keeping their distance from one another, to avoid the temptation of discussing what had happened. All three had agreed that the previous day's events were to be kept secret- under no circumstances were any of them going to say something that crazy in front of others.

Though, all things considered, this was easier said than done.

"Hey, Dorky, you wanna due-"

"NOTHING!"

The first outburst was Eddy's, at lunchtime. Kevin stared at him, confused. Eddy, feeling the eyes of practically everyone in the cafeteria fix on him, blushed and pulled at his collar nervously.

"I HAVE TO... UH... COME UP WITH SCAMS!"

Eddy ran out of the cafeteria faster than most people would consider possible. By this point, most other kids simply shrugged and moved on with their day, but Kevin's curiosity flared. "He's back to scamming people?" he muttered. "He hasn't done that in three years..."

Little did Kevin (or anyone else) know that this would not be the only confusion that people would be subjected to that day...

"Rolf?"

"Here!"

"Nazz?"

"Here."

"Eddwa-"

"NOTHING!"

The second outburst was from Double D while he was in class, only a few minutes after the Lunch Period had ended. He looked away in embarrassment, and asked the teacher "May I please have a pass to the nurse? I feel sick."

The teacher, caught by surprise, had no idea how to react; he simply wrote up a hall pass and sent Double D on his way. . Double D took it with insane speed, and left the room even faster, leaving everyone to wonder what was going through his mind to elicit that kind of reaction.

But one of them was not content with just wondering...

"Teacher, may Rolf have a hall pass as well?"

* * *

Double D used the hall pass as an excuse to sneak up to the roof (their usual hangout spot from last year). He was not too surprised to find Eddy up there as well - mainly due to the fact that Eddy skipped class often - because he was certain their situation was the same.

"So," Double D asked as he walked over, "Did you almost crack as well?"

Eddy shrugged. "I don't know what happened. It just felt like all the weight of the situation hit me at once."

"I can relate," Double D told him, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "I don't know what came over me. Just out of nowhere I screamed..."

"NOTHING!"

Both Double D and Eddy looked down, determining that the open window was where the scream had come from. No doubt it was Ed, nearly cracking under the pressure as well. "He'll probably be up here in a few seconds, I'm sure." Eddy said, and barely ten seconds later, they heard footsteps coming from behind them.

They turned around to see the door open, revealing Ed. He looked shocked and scared, and that had both of the Eds worried. "GuysI'msosorry!" He exclaimed incoherently, "Ialmosttoldeveryone! Everyoneisgoingtoaskaboutit! Thisisallmyfault! Weneedtorun!"

"Ed! By all means, be hysterical," Double D told him, "But please, don't say too much too quickly! You need to breath!"

Ed took a deep breath upon Double D saying this, and it appeared to calm him down a little.

"And besides that, we did pretty much the same." Eddy added on, dropping his backpack to the ground. "In thinking about it, it might have something to do with that I brought this..."

Eddy rummaged around in his backpack for a few moments, before pulling out his yellow Duel Disk. The other two Eds gasped in shock.

"You mean you brought yours to school as well!?" Double D exclaimed, placing down his backpack and pulling out his red Duel Disk. "I thought I was the only one!"

"Oh! Me too!" Ed dropped his backpack, and pulled out his Duel Disk. "That's so cool!"

Eddy looked to his Duel Disk, and attached it to his arm. He took a few seconds fiddling around with the apps, and saw one that he didn't understand. "Return to Hub? What do you think that one does?"

Double D placed his fingers on his chin for a moment, before telling them both his theory. "Considering the circumstances of how we acquired the Duel Disks in the first place, I'd say that returns us back to the same place where we fought Robert - a place I can only assume is called 'the Hub'."

Eddy thought on this, and immediately realized that made about as much sense as anything else that was going on with these Duel Disks. "So, we get the option to return back?" Eddy stopped for a moment, and considered the option. On one hand, they could go back and learn awesome new Dueling techniques, including that 'xyz summoning' Robert showed them...

... But on the OTHER hand, they'd probably be the laughing stock of the entire place after that duel.

"Whoa, what are those!?"

The Eds looked over to see Kevin and Rolf looking at them, particularly eyeing the devices that were on their arms. The Eds realized there was no way they were going to escape this, and they were probably going to have to either come up with a convoluted lie or come clean.

 _'Or... we could go with option three.'_ Eddy thought, eyeing the options on the screen of his Duel Disk. 'Are you sure you want to return to the Hub early?' was what the popup said, and as Eddy weighed the options, he was absolutely sure.

Both Kevin and Rolf began to walk towards, them, Eddy pressed the 'Yes' button. Double D saw this, and was about to protest, but the deed was done before he could.

A flash of light surrounded Eddy, nearly blinding the other four in the process. As it faded, they realized that Eddy was gone, and that people were now staring from the open window...

"For crying out loud, Eddy!" Double D mumbled, almost angry enough to start cursing. "Now this will just make things a lot more complex!"

* * *

The light faded, and Eddy was left staring at the ceiling. He looked around and realized this was the room of the 'Hotel' he had been in the day before. Things seemed slightly different, but it was no doubt the same place.

"Welp, I got out of that one easy enough." Eddy declared, able to relax for a moment. "Now to see what's up with this world."

He got up off the bed, and first took notice of the bathroom connected to his room. In it was a mirror, and he could see his reflection in it...

And almost immediately, he knew SOMETHING was off.

He headed over, and surveyed his reflection. A lot of things seemed different about it, but he wasn't exactly sure what. Maybe it was the fact that he looked taller. Maybe it was the fact that his hair looked better. Or maybe it was the fact that for once he could actually see his eye color - a very deep bluish-green - without having to pay close attention. But whatever it was, he looked and felt different. **(1)**

"This is too weird," Eddy said, taking in all the small details, when suddenly he heard a knock at the door. "Now who the hell could want to see me?" The knocking continued, and knowing it probably wasn't going to stop, Eddy headed to the door, and opened it.

He was greeted by the sight of a young man, standing a little taller than Eddy himself, with messy brown hair, and a small blonde braid coming down from behind his right ear to about midway down his chest. His eyes were red - or at least as far as Eddy could tell, given that his left one was covered up by a cloth eyepatch - and he was dressed in a reddish-brown overcoat with a grey undershirt, dark grey cargo pants, and black shoes.

And upon first sight, Eddy had to wonder what the heck he was looking at.

"Hey there!" The young man said, his voice lively yet calm, "You must be the new neighbor."

"New neighbor?" Eddy questioned, before the pieces clicked. "Oh yeah, there are a bunch of these places."

"Has the transition been rough for you?"

Eddy cocked his head to the side, and simply told him "Not really. I only just now came back."

The man smiled. "I see. Did you tie up all the loose ends back home? I made the mistake of not doing that."

Now Eddy was starting to get confused. "What are you talking about?"

The man took a minute to clarify the whole thing to Eddy. Apparently, anyone brought to the Hub has a maximum of 24 hours to tie up any loose ends in their own worlds. After that, they are brought back to the Hub.

"So, the fact that you're here means you are stuck." The man finished, giving Eddy a few seconds for the info to sink in.

And as for Eddy himself, hearing all of this was a shock to the system. He had assumed they would be forced to return, given that the machine asked if he wanted to return EARLY, but to know that he couldn't go back...

That just was too much.

"Man, I can't believe I did something that stupid!" Eddy said aloud, becoming increasingly annoyed at the situation. "Now what am I gonna do!?"

The young man just smiled. "Well, since you're going to be here for a while, why don't I show you around? I think you might like it around here."

Eddy shrugged. "Sure, why not?" He said, exasperated. "I've got nothing better to do."

"All right!" The young man exclaimed. "Oh, but where are my manners?" He extended his hand for Eddy to take. "My name is Littlefoot. Nice to meet you."

Eddy tried to hold back a chuckle. "That's a strange name, but whatever." He said as he accepted the handshake. "I'm Eddy."

With introductions out of the way, Eddy began to follow Littlefoot, heading down to the courtyard. He was completely unsure why he was following him, or why he had even agreed to this in the first place. Hell, right now he wasn't even sure if his wits were completely about him.

But with nothing better to do, he might as well TRY to understand this place.

* * *

 **Footnote**

 **(1): Basically an in-universe excuse to imagine them all anime art style and everything.**

 **So, with a second chapter, I introduce our first crossover character - Littlefoot from the 'Land Before Time' series. And I'll admit, Littlefoot probably doesn't make sense to be a duelist, but I did it for a very good reason.**

 **I did it because I WANTED to! XD**

 **But in all seriousness, the Land Before Time is a series I love with all my heart, and I thought adding in a character from it to this story would be fun. And besides that, I have plans for him as a character, which I hint to a little in his design.**

 **So yeah.**

 **As always, read, review, all that good stuff. Next time we return, Eddy will be forced to face his first REAL challenge as a Duelist.**

 **Until next time!**


	3. Chapter 3 - Unknown Strength

**Ok, Imma just give one warning.**

 **If you come to one of my fics that has NOTHING to do with another of my fics, and then leave a guest review telling me to continue on that other fic, then I not only delete/ignore that review, I shall also deliberately NOT work on that other fic when I could be, just to spite you!**

 **You know who you are. DON'T do it.**

 **But enough on negative stuff. This chapter is one of my longest thus far, and it was really fun to write. I honestly hope you like it.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

As much as Eddy hated to admit it, the Hub was a pretty place.

He had been walking around with Littlefoot for about half an hour now, and he had not seen too much of the entire place yet, but what he has seen was very nice.

According to what he was told, they were currently in the 'Spade Sector' of the Hub, which was mostly dedicated as living facilities and food. It was apparently midday, meaning that most were out practicing or exploring. That essentially meant the two had the whole sector to themselves.

But of course, Eddy had a question or two for Littlefoot.

"So, you said there are a lot of Duelists out in the other sectors, right?" He asked all too excitedly. "Which sector has all the hot babes?"

To this, Littlefoot laughed. "Babies aren't allowed in the Hub," he told his shorter friend. "No one under fifteen. That's the policy."

Eddy just tilted his head in shock, before explaining himself. "No, not babies! Babes! You know, wear swimsuits, and play volleyball?" Littlefoot looked deeply confused at this explanation, but after a few seconds, he smacked himself on the head.

"Oh! You mean pretty girls!" Littlefoot rubbed the back of his head in embarassment, and Eddy was left wondering what this guy thought he meant. "Sorry about that, Eddy. I'm still getting used to all of this human speak."

A raised eyebrow was Eddy's initial response. "What are you talking about?"

"Nevermind." Littlefoot told him, as they continued walking. They made their way to the afformentioned food court, where there were resaurants run by robots. Eddy gawked at the sight of that. "This place just keeps getting weirder!" he exclaimed. "Why robots of all things?"

Littlefoot shrugged. "From what I was told, its because they don't have to pay them."

"... That's actually kind of brilliant."

Choosing not to question things, he followed Littlefoot to a table, where they sat down and had a discussion.

"So, what is it you want to know about this world?" Littlefoot asked. "I'll answer every question as best I can." Eddy thought on this for only a few seconds, before a question of utmost importance entered his mind:

"How much does food cost? I forgot to eat lunch today."

Littlefoot looked a little dumbfounded by this, and said "It depends on where you go. A burger combo costs, like, 2 bucks."

That was all the incentive Eddy needed to get up and go over to the burger joint. Littlefoot was left twiddling his thumbs as he waited, and a couple seconds later, Eddy returned with a plate filled with a burger, fries, and a soda.

"I've heard of 'Fast Food', but that was ridiculous!" Eddy said in amazement. Littlefoot could only smile, and tell him, "Yeah, the robots are the model of efficiency."

As Eddy was eating, more questions began to flood his mind (probably thanks to the fact that he could actually think on something other than food once again). He remembered something Robert told him, and figured he should ask.

"So, tell me this," Eddy asked in between bites, "What does the whole 'Competitor' thing mean?"

Littlefoot's face went blank for a second, before it seemed like something connected. "Oh, you mean what Robert told you during the duel."

"How did you know that was why I asked?"

"He told me himself. I know him personally."

Hearing that made Eddy almost choke on his food. As he regained his composure, anger began to overflow his mind. "God damn it! That's the second time today! Can I PLEASE just eat without nearly choking!? IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK!?"

Noticing that Littlefoot looked a bit scared, Eddy composed himself. It would not do him any good to scare off the person giving him the answers he wanted. "Sorry about that," he told Littlefoot, "Please, continue."

"All right," Littlefoot said, "Anyway, to answer your question, it has to do with what we're all doing here. It's a giant tournament, and some of us get to be competitors in it. The rest of the people here are spectators, meaning they can still duel and watch the tournament, but they can't play to win it."

"Is that right?" Eddy asked. "Well, how do you know if you're a competitor?"

"Simply check your profile." Littlefoot told him, gesturing to a small icon on the screen titled 'My Profile'. Eddy pressed it, and saw that it had his name, age, and status - which said that he was, in fact, a Competitor.

"Wow... so I get to compete!" Eddy declared excitedly. "But wait, what are we competing for? Is it cash?"

Littlefoot chuckled at the sudden energy Eddy was showing. "Well, it CAN be," he said, "You see, from how Robert explained it to me, they take people from a bunch of different worlds, and bring them here to fight to win the tournament. It's a long and grueling competiton, but at the end of it, the winner gets a prize beyond their wildest dreams."

Hearing that, Eddy's eyes widened. "What, like a blank check or something like that?"

Littlefoot shrugged, and said "Well, I am not too sure myself. But from what Robert has told me, it's good."

Eddy let that sink in, and considered other things he could ask. Noticing the strange appearance of the teen before him, and the info he was given, one thing came to mind rather quickly.

"You said that the competitors come from a bunch of different worlds, right?" He asked. "If that's the case, then what world are you from?" Littlefoot looked to be caught off guard by this one, and appeared deep in thought for a few seconds.

"Well, my world is a pretty interesting one." he said to the shorter man, "Where I come from, dinosaurs still exist." Internally, Littlefoot was patting himself on the back for that one. _'Good work. It's not a lie, but still not the whole truth.'_

"Really?" Eddy said with intrigue. "That must make for some interesting days. Are there some that you keep as pets or something like that?"

"Nah. No one is brave enough to try!"

Both of them got a laugh out of that one, and Eddy considered that to be a good answer. "That's really interesting," Eddy declared, his curiosity piqued, "Makes me wonder what kind of worlds there are out there."

Eddy noticed that Littlefoot seemed very amused by his answer. "You know, you're taking this really well," Littlefoot told him, a hint of laughter in his tone, "I remember when I came here I was screaming and running around like a madman!"

To this, all Eddy could really do was shrug. For whatever reason, he didn't feel that shocked by these recent developments. It was strange, sure, but it didn't exactly catch him off guard. He had dealt with magic boomerangs and cursed telephones before - both things he still could not wrap his mind around.

It may have been absurd, but with all of the crazy stuff he and his friends had been dealt, this was just par for the course.

"Let's just say I've been desensitized to complete insanity." Eddy offered.

There was a brief silence between the two as Eddy tried to think of something to ask. There were quite a few questions that came to mind, but they could easily be figured out with prior knowledge. He wanted to ask about his name, but remembered that could probably be explained by being from another world.

He looked to the eyepatch, and was tempted to question it, but the answer was probably really simple. Odds were he damaged his eye or something and a doctor told him to wear it. Eddy didn't need to be a genius to figure out that much.

Among the many strange things he considered (the trench coat being a top candidate), nothing seemed too out of the ordinary. It seemed like he didn't have too much that he could question...

"So, what's with the braid?"

Before Eddy had even realized he had said that, the question was out in the air. Littlefoot was slow to respond, looking to the blonde braid that hung from his right side. He smiled, and Eddy could see both pain and nostalgia laced in it...

And the fact that he could gather that much info from something as simple as a smile terrified him a slight bit.

"It's to remember an important friend," Littlefoot told him, "I don't know why, but I always imagined her as a blonde."

"Have you never seen her face-to-face?" Eddy asked. "What is she, an online friend?" There was a brief silence between the two, before Littlefoot replied with "Something like that."

Eddy pondered for a few seconds, trying to come up with any other questions, but nothing came to mind. He was satisfied for now, but felt like he was forgetting something...

 _'Oh well, if I forgot it, it must have not been that important to begin with.'_ Eddy concluded. He finished off his food, and looked more to the apps on his Duel Disk. Nothing really struck his interest, until he saw the app titled 'Hub Transport'.

"So, you said we can head to the other sectors with the press of a button, right Littlefoot?"

"Yeah?"

Eddy smiled upon this confirmation, and declared "Then I think I'm gonna go see what else this place has to offer." Hearing this, Littlefoot stood up and asked "Then first, let's make a stop by the Diamond Sector. I'm running low on supplies."

Having been told by Littlefoot that the 'Diamond Sector' was the shopping district of this world, Eddy knew that there would probably be a grocery store there as well. He was honestly a little curious what was in every sector, so making that little detour wouldn't be too much of a hindrance.

"Sounds like a plan," Eddy told him as he stood up, "Diamond Sector it is!"

Without another word, Littlefoot pulled out his own Duel Disk - which was a bright turquoise in color. After placing it on his wrist, the two were prepared. They pressed the 'Hub Transport' key, and picked 'Diamond Sector'...

And in an instant, both were enveloped in a flash of light, and less than a second later, they were gone.

* * *

Only a second after the light faded, Eddy found that he and Littlefoot were in room with diamond-themed wallpaper.

"Wait a minute, I thought we were going to the Diamond Sector!" Eddy demanded, as Littlefoot walked toward the door, "What gives?"

"Oh, we're here," Littlefoot said, "This is the transport center. Whenever you go from Sector to Sector via transport, you are sent to one of these places in the sector you're going to. It's so they don't have any mishaps with people being teleported to random places with every single jump."

"Oh... Okay."

With nothing more to really say, Eddy and Littlefoot left the building, and was brought before the Diamond Sector. It was full of stores - everything from a grocery store to a card shop to a bakery - with people entering and exiting the stores at a consistent rate.

Eddy took a moment to let it all sink in. The stores, the people, the girl getting her ass kicked in a duel over on the pier by the guy in the cloak-

 _'Wait, repeat that last one?'_

Eddy looked back to where he saw a duel happening, just down the road from the grocery store. The two duelists were a ginger haired girl and a cloaked man, and it did not take a rocket scientist to figure out that the cloaked man was winning.

A blast of energy came from the mighty beast the man controlled, and the girl was sent flying back, only to land on the ground, unmoving. Insinct overtook Eddy, and he headed over to see if she was alright.

She was completely unconscious, bur was luckily still breathing. There were little cuts all over her, but nothing too deep. She'd be fine, but he had to wonder what had happened in that duel for this to be the end result?

His answer came in the form of the man approaching her, a murderous glint in his eyes.

"Back up!" Eddy demanded, obviously more than a little angry, "Can't ya see she's hurt!?"

Neither Eddy nor Littlefoot could see the man's eyes, but both could see the smirk on his face. "What are you, the girl's bodyguard?" he asked tauntingly, "Run along, kid. This doesn't concern you."

Eddy was about to say something, but Littlefoot interrupted him. "Now I know where I recognized that cloak."

The mysterious young man stood up, and his smirk broke into a grin. "You better believe it. The Dark Duelists have returned!"

Eddy was visibly confused by this. "The Dark Duelists?"

"So, out 'scouting for new recruits' are you?" Littlefoot spat at him, putting a harsh edge on every syllable.

"Uh, excuse me, the Dark Duelists? Ya mind explaining?" Eddy asked. He was beginning to get impatient, but it was clear that the other two weren't paying attention to him.

"What does it matter to you? This is none of your business.."

"Robert told me about your group, and by the sounds of it, you are the last person I should trust around anyone on this hub!"

The man's smirk disappeared, turning into a scowl. "Then I guess I'll have to stop trying to be polite. Get out of my way, or I'll-"

"HEY!"

Littlefoot and the man were finally pulled from their conversation to Eddy, who was practically fuming. "Will one of you PLEASE explain who the heck the Dark Duelists are?!"

Both were caught off guard by this, and Littlefoot simply sighed in defeat. "All right," he said, "From what Robert has told me, they were around during the last tournament, causing a bunch of trouble and brainwashing competitors."

Eddy's eyes went wide upon hearing this. "Geez. So he was planning to brainwash her?"

Littlefoot glared back at the Dark Duelist. "Well, were you?"

The man in question chuckled. "Maybe I was, maybe I wasn't," he said, shrugging. "But I will tell you this much." He paused for a second, and pointed at the girl in question.

"That girl possesses a rare Synchro Monster. It's powerful, far too powerful to be in the hands of a weakling like her."

Before Eddy could even question what a 'Synchro Monster' is, Littlefoot's Duel Disk was activated, his energy blade pure white in color. "That's for her to decide, not you!" Littlefoot declared defiantly, "And if you think otherwise, then you're going to have to go through me first!"

"Oh, how noble of you." The Dark Duelist rolled his eyes."I'd ask who you are, but the name of a dead man matters not."

"Fine by me. I wouldn't have told you, anyway!"

Littlefoot turned back to Eddy, and told him "You can keep going on with your day if you want. Just make sure you get her somewhere safe!"

"And leave you to face this guy all alone? Not likely!"

"But Eddy, you-"

Eddy straightened his back as the energy blade shot out of his duel disk. "I'm going to help you. That's final."

Littlefoot looked concerned, and Eddy's expression softened a little.

"Don't worry about the girl, she's still breathing." Eddy told his new ally, "She'll be in even more danger if we leave this guy out here."

Littlefoot, caught off guard, was silent for a moment. Eventually, he recovered and spoke again. "Are you sure? The system we use makes you take real pain when you lose Life Points. I wouldn't want you getting hurt too."

That realization hit Eddy like a ton of bricks, as he remembered the pain he felt at the end of his fight with Robert. _'THAT'S what I was forgetting!'_ he thought, mentally slapping himself. _'How could I forget something like that?!'_

But with that little fact back in his memory, he considered the options for a second.

His own deck wasn't too impressive. _'Littlefoot said he knew Robert, right?'_ he thought, suddenly. _'If that's the case, odds are good that he's trained with him... and if he's anywhere near as skilled as Robert, I'm not anywhere near as skilled as him. Littlefoot might not even need me...'_

Eddy shook his head in exasperation. _'Gah! Forget it! I'm just overthinking these things. I swear, I'm starting to sound like Double D, and not in a good way...'_

"I'll risk it," Eddy declared with confidence, "Besides, nothing can sting more than the defeat Robert handed to me."

Littlefoot couldn't help but chuckle at this. "At least you have guts."

"So, the match has been decided, has it?" the man asked, fiddling around with his Duel Disk, "We'll do a Triangle Duel, meaning you two can use your card effects on each other. But I've seen you duel, pal, and I've seen you lose. It won't help you." He stopped for a moment, and grinned, pointing at Eddy. "I plan on making your pain last as long as possible."

The man activated his black Duel Disk, a dark red energy blade materializing. "Since I guarantee you'll be working for us after this, you might as well know the name of your future superior." A malicious smirk appeared on the man's face, as he finally looked to his opponents, letting them see his golden eyes. "I am known as Vanguard! And this is the last duel you face as free men!"

"There is nothing more to say." Littlefoot's voice was dangerously calm, even cold. For a moment, Eddy could swear he saw a light blue glow underneath his eyepatch. "Ready?"

Vanguard nodded.

"DUEL!"

* * *

( **Vanguard's LP: 8000** )

( **Littlefoot's LP: 8000** )

( **Eddy's LP: 8000** )

"I'll start us off," Vanguard said, as he drew his first five cards. "I set one card face down, ending my turn!" A large digital card appeared before him, placed sideways, indicating that it was a set monster.

"That's all, eh?" Littlefoot asked, his eyes narrowing with suspicion. "Then it's my move. I draw!" He looked at his hand for only a few moments, before determining his plan of action. "I summon Cipher Tyranno **(1)**!"

(A large blue mechanized T-Rex appears. **ATK: 2000** /DEF: 0)

"And with this, I end my turn!"

"Wait a minute," Eddy called out, right as Littlefoot's turn ended. "Littlefoot, that's all you're going to do?"

"That's all I can do. Don't you know how Triangle Duels work?"

Eddy looked away, rather embarassed. "No..."

Littlefoot sighed. "I heard you were lacking in experience, but this is ridiculous...!" he muttered. Eddy must have heard him, because he visibly shrank and his gaze fell to the floor. Littlefoot placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, it's not your fault. Let's just do this. In a Multi Battle, such as a Triangle Duel, no player can attack until all players have had a turn."

"Oh... I gotcha. So that's why you didn't attack."

"Not only that, but I don't trust how calm he is with just one face-down on the field."

Eddy nodded in agreement, and looked to his starting hand. It wasn't too bad. He had his 'Black Luster Soldier', as well 'Gilford the Lightning', which he could tribute for the ritual. Now all he needed was the Ritual Spell, and he would be golden.

"It's my move. I draw!"

Taking the first card off of his deck, he noticed that it wasn't 'Black Luster Ritual' like he needed. Instead, it was a Level 4 normal monster. _'Oh well, at least it's a mighty powerful one,'_ he thought, _'At the very least, I have something to summon.'_

"I'll summon Vorse Raider!"

(A monstrous warrior with a strange bladed weapon appears. **ATK: 1900** /DEF: 1200)

"I'll set two cards face down, and end my turn with that!"

The two duelists saw Vanguard's grin widen, and realized that was probably a big mistake. "Well, now the stage has been set. I draw!" He placed his new card into his hand, and flipped the card on his field face-up. "Say hello to my Virus Wyrm!"

(A mechanized dragon-like creature appears. **ATK: 500** /DEF: 0)

"This guy has a mighty little effect. Whenever he is summoned by any means, I can tribute him to destroy all monsters on the field with 1500 ATK or more!"

The little mechanical dragon was covered by a red energy, and almost immediately burst apart. Red shrapnel was sent flying everywhere - even in the direction of the two duelists, a couple of the pieces leaving small cuts - and the monsters on their fields were destroyed in the crossfire.

"When Cipher Tyranno is sent to the Graveyard, I can add a Cipher monster from my Deck to my hand!" Littlefoot declared defiantly, as his deck was shuffled, and he took the card that he was given. "So I'll add Cipher Wing!"

"It matters not, now that the stage is set." Vanguard countered. "Because you control no monsters, I can special summon Hack Worm!"

(A small, mechanical serpentine beast appeared. **ATK: 400** /DEF: 0)

"Next, I'll activate the Spell card 'Machine Duplication'! With this, I can special summon copies of a Machine monster I control, so long as it has 500 or less attack!" As if on cue, two more Hack Worms appear on his side of the field, leaving him with three monsters.

"Pffff! And what exactly do you plan to do with those three weaklings?" Eddy scoffed, trying to keep the tremor out of his voice. Vanguard was unfazed by his attempt at confidence.

"Keep in mind that I special summoned my Hack Worms," he told Eddy, "Meaning that I haven't used my normal summon yet."

Upon realizing that, Eddy understood exactly what he planned to do. 3 monsters meant it had to be something high level and very powerful. Maybe even an Egyptian God Card...

"I sacrifice two of my Hack Worms to tribute summon Cracking Dragon!"

(The two Hack Worms vanish, making way for a massive metallic beast, vaguely resembling a dragon. **ATK: 3000** /DEF: 0)

"And that's not all. I use my last Hack Worm as tribute, to Link Summon! Appear, Link-1, Techno Gardna!"

(The Hack Worm vanishes, and in its place, appears a small humanoid machine with twin shields. **ATK: 1000** )

"And now, to e-"

"Whoa whoa, hold up!" Littlefoot interjected. "Where and how did you get a Link Monster? They haven't even released the structure decks for them yet!"

Vanguard didn't seem to offer any kind of reaction. His smirk remained constant throughout the statement, and all he said was "I have my methods."

"What the heck is a Link Monster?" Eddy whispered to Littlefoot, who grew irritated at this.

"Save the questions for later! Right now, there's work to be done!"

That was a response that Eddy was okay with accepting, in part because it was true. Right now, he needed to focus on what Vanguard had planned.

"And to end it," Vanguard said, taking on more card from his hand, "I equip Cracking Dragon with 'Killer Circuitry'! My dragon gains 1000 attack points, and battle or effect damage it deals is DOUBLED!"

(Cracking Dragon's ATK: **4000** )

Littlefoot's eyes widened at the prospect of that. 4000 damage times two meant...

"That's an OTK enabler." Littlefoot said, to no one in particular.

"Damn right, it is!" Vanguard declared confidently, "And that means that once you're out of my way, all that will remain is that weakling! Cracking Dragon, attack!"

With the command given, the vaguely draconic machine released a beam of energy, heading right for Littlefoot's face. Eddy was about to activate his face-down 'Negate Attack', knowing that he would need Littlefoot to stand a chance...

"I activate the effect of my Cipher Saurolophus!"

But as it seemed Littlefoot was way ahead of him in ensuring his survival.

"By sending Cipher Saurolophus to the graveyard, I can negate the attack, and end your battle phase!" Littlefoot sent the card from his hand to his Graveyard, and the attack faded before him.

 _'Looks like Littlefoot has this under control.'_ Eddy thought, deeply impressed that he just fended off an OTK. _'Robert must have taught him well.'_

"I end my turn then, with a face-down!" Vanguard told the two, "Let's see you take on my most impenetrable field!"

"Gladly!" Littlefoot fired back, "I'll show you just how breakable this field is! I draw!"

Eddy paid close attention to the vigor in his draw, and the way he studied his cards - or at least that's what Eddy thought he was doing, it's impossible to tell with the eyepatch. He could tell one thing, at least - Littlefoot definitely had a plan.

"I activate the Spell card 'Cipher Loop'! By discarding my Cipher Etranger, I can draw 2 cards. Then, thanks to the effect of Cipher Etranger, I can add a 'Cipher' Spell from my deck to my hand! And considering my choices, I think I'll add 'Cipher Diffusion'!"

 _'So, he can essentially trade out two cards he doesn't need for a chance to get two that he does need.'_ Eddy noted, paying careful attention to the plays of his ally. _'Not only that, but thanks to what he discarded, he turned an two-for-two into a two-for-three.'_

To Eddy, that was a very impressive play, and was helping him to understand part of what was so different about this world's style of Dueling. They had the ability to scour their deck and get more cards that they needed with just a simple card combo. It was intriguing, to say the least...

 _'Oh dear god, now I REALLY sound like Double D!'_

"Now, because you control a monster summoned from the Extra Deck, I can special summon Cipher Twin Raptor!"

(A draconic creature colored dark and light blue appears. **ATK: 1600** /DEF: 800)

"At this very moment, I activate Cracking Dragon's effect! When a monster is summoned, it loses attack equal to its Level times 200, then your Life Points are decreased by the amount of attack the monster lost! And thanks to the effect of Killer Circuitry, that damage is doubled!"

Littlefoot was left speechless as Cracking Dragon unleashed a mighty roar. 'Cipher Twin Raptor' was covered by a red energy for a split second, as was its controller, who could only grit his teeth a little.

(Cipher Twin Raptor's ATK: **800** )

(Littlefoot's LP: **6400** )

"That the best you can do!?" Littlefoot taunted, as if the pain was nothing. "Because if so, I'm not impressed! I'll next Normal Summon my Cipher Wing! Then, because I control a Cipher Wing, I can Special Summon my other Cipher Wing from my hand!"

In an instant, two little machines appeared on Littlefoot's field. Both whirred to life, and a pair of wings, made of a sort of bright bluish electricity, flickered on them both. Even if he wouldn't say it out loud, Eddy noticed their beauty- the machines were rather intricately made, and their wings were an amazing sight to see.

(Both Cipher Wings' ATK: 1400 - 800 = **600** )

(Littlefoot's LP: **3200** )

"Three Level 4 monsters, hm?" Vanguard almost seemed to be amused by the prospect. "Let me guess, you're planning to make an Xyz Monster?"

"Oh, what gave it away?" Littlefoot declared, sarcasm obvious in his tone, "But not just one. I'll use Cipher Twin Raptor to build the overlay network!"

"Wow, how dumb can you be?" Vanguard laughed. "Don't you know that you need more than one monster for an Xyz Summon?"

"Not in the case of Cipher Twin Raptor. Thanks to his special effect, he counts as 2 materials for the Xyz Summon of a 'Cipher' monster!" **(2)**

"What!?"

The draconic beast in question split apart into two golden orbs, which went into the vortex at Littlefoot's feet!

"Xyz Summon! Introducing Cipher Dual Blader!"

(A pale blue energy being wielding dual swords appears. **ATK: 2100** /DEF: 1200)

"I'm beginning to believe you're a masochist now." Vanguard couldn't help but laugh. "You just keep giving me more things to activate Cracking Dragon's effect on!"

"Afraid not."

Vanguard looked back, expectant that his dragon would let out that mighty roar. No such luck, not even the slightest growl of discontent. It was like that 'Dual Blader' wasn't even there.

"Xyz Monsters have Ranks, not Levels! Everyone who's ever worked with them knows that!" Littlefoot declared, "And since that is the case, and because the new Master Rule isn't in effect yet, I will make sure to summon another one! I overlay my two Cipher Wings to Xyz Summon my second Cipher Dual Blader!"

( **ATK: 2100** /DEF: 1200)

"And that's not all," Littlefoot told him, revealing a Spell Card from his hand, "I activate Cipher Trance! When I control two monsters with the same name, all my opponent's monsters with higher attack than it get a major downgrade!"

An energy shot forth from the card, piercing Cracking Dragon's metal hide and seemingly draining the life from it. Worry began to flood Vanguard's system, as he saw its ATK lowering.

(Cracking Dragon's ATK: **2100** )

"And now it's time to break that field! Cipher Dual Blader, attack and destroy Cracking Dragon!" With the command given, one of the two energy beings jumped into the sky, and readied its blades, as if waiting for something...

"At this moment, I activate one of Cipher Dual Blader's effects! By detaching an Overlay Unit, I can make it invincible until the end phase!"

"That won't work!" Vanguard countered, glaring at Littlefoot darkly from beneath his hood. "Cracking Dragon can't be destroyed by a monster with equal or lower level than it!"

One of the two orbs surrounding the monster entered into its blades, making a blue aura flare to life around them both. As soon as this was done, gravity seemed to kick back in for the warrior, as it unleashed a mighty downward slash, splitting Cracking Dragon right down the middle.

Vanguard was stunned. How could this be...?

"What part of 'Xyz Monsters don't have Levels' did you not understand?" Was Littlefoot's retort, accompanied by an ever-so-slightly cocky smirk. "And that's hardly the end of it! My second Dual Blader! Destroy Techno Gardna!"

The second warrior's attack was nowhere near as grand and dramatic as the first's, but it still got the job done. In an instant, the shielding machine was destroyed, and Vanguard was clearly put into some visible pain as his Life Points began to drain.

(Vanguard's LP: **6900** )

"With that, I'll end my turn by setting three face-downs!" Littlefoot declared, as the large projections of said face-downs appeared. "Eddy, it's your g-"

"At this moment, I activate Eternity Code!"

Littlefoot and Eddy were both caught off-guard by Vanguard's sudden outburst, and looked to see the trap card now face-up on his field.

"This powerful trap card can only be activated on the end phase of a turn when I control no monsters. With it, I can summon back any number of Machine monsters from my grave, in exchange for paying LP equal to their cumulative attack!"

From the card, four shots of energy burst outward, and back onto the field returned his Techno Gardna, and the three Hack Worms from before...

A very good set of cards for setup, and with only 2200 ATK between all of them.

(Vanguard's LP: **4700** )

Eddy is unsure where to go from here, and simply starts by drawing a card...

 _'Dammit! Not Black Luster Ritual... but still pretty useful.'_

Looking over his options, Eddy had a feeling that he would need to prepare for the worst. From what he could gather about these so-called 'Link Monsters', they worked like tribute summons, giving up little monsters to create bigger ones.

Meaning that he had to try to get rid of the little monsters to the best of his abilities.

"I'll normal summon Neo the Magic Swordsman!"

(A blonde spellsword appears, readying his blade for combat. **ATK: 1700** /DEF: 1000)

"Then, I'll activate Monster Reborn! Using this Spell Card, I can Special Summon a monster from any player's graveyard! And I think the card I'll be taking is..."

He pointed his finger right at Vanguard.

"Your Cracking Dragon!"

The projection of the mighty spell card faded from the field, and in exchange, the mighty machine that was previously serving Vanguard was now on Eddy's field.

( **ATK: 3000** /DEF: 0)

"I'm not letting you have more things to tribute!" Eddy declared confidently, "Neo, destroy the center Hack Worm!"

"I'm afraid not! I activate Techno Gardna's effect! Once per turn, a monster this card points to is not destroyed. I may lose Life Points for this, but it's well worth it to keep the pieces in place!"

(Vanguard's LP: **3400** )

"Well, I don't like that Techno Gardna of yours, so I think I'll destroy it!" Eddy told him. "Cracking Dragon, destroy Techno Gardna!"

Eddy was expecting that Vanguard would have no answer to this. That a Hack Worm would be destroyed, and Vanguard would take massive amounts of damage...

"I'll activate Virus Wyrm's graveyard effect!"

What he wasn't expecting was that.

"By banishing it, I can activate one of your face-downs as if it were my own! And considering you come from a time where battle traps were far more common, I can safely assume one of them serves that purpose!"

A silhouette of 'Virus Wyrm' appeared on the field, flying over to Eddy's face-down 'Negate Attack'. Red sparks appeared and vanished for a few seconds, before the card was forced face-up.

All Vanguard could do was laugh. "Looks like I was right! Not only are you weak, but you're predictable! So now, the attack is negated, and the battle phase ended. Meaning that it's my turn."

With nothing he could really do, Eddy simply conceded, and Vanguard drew a card.

"Pity your efforts were for nothing." He taunted, specifically looking toward Eddy, "I believe it's time I take down your crutch! I give up all three Hack Worms, to Link Summon once again! Appear, Link-3, Eternal Mechknight!"

(The three Hack Worms vanish, and from the sky comes a mighty humanoid machine, wielding a massive greatsword. **ATK: 2500** )

"And that's not all. When Mechknight is summoned, I can special summon a Level 1 Machine monster from my deck! So, I'll go with Power Supporter!"

(A small machine vaguely resembling a USB drive appears. **ATK: 0** /DEF: 0)

Eddy, seeing an opportunity, did what he figured would be useful. "I activate the effect of Cracking Drago-"

"I'm afraid that's useless." Vanguard cut him off by saying. "The only way I lose life points is by the amount of attack that a monster loses by the effect. But seeing as Power Supporter has no attack, there is nothing to take away from him."

"Damn..."

"And now that I have taken that idea out of your mind," Vanguard continued, "I'll activate my second Machine Duplication, to summon the other two Power Supporters from my deck!" As soon as the card was played, the one little machine split into three.

"Now, using one of them, I'll Link Summon another Link-1, by the name of Techno Bumper!"

(One little machine vanished, and in its place came a machine covered in mirrors. **ATK: 800** )

"And using the last two, I shall Link Summon again! Appear, Link-2, Savage Mechhound!"

(In the place of the last two, a large, two headed robot dog appeared. **ATK: 1900** )

Eddy and Littlefoot were both completely dumbstruck. Their opponent had went from one Link Monster to four with a simple combo. It was insane, and yet there it was in front of them, plain as day.

"Impressed?" Vanguard asked mockingly, "Well that's not even the half of it! Firstly, Techno Bumper's effect! All Link monsters I control gain 800 attack, and until the end phase, all monsters you control lose that same amount!"

(The mirrors on Techno Bumper began to glow, and all monsters on the field were covered by an energy)

(Vanguard's Monsters' ATK: **1800** , **3300** , **1600** , **2700** )

(Littlefoot's Monsters' ATK: **1300** , **1300** )

(Eddy's Monster's ATK: **900** , **2200** )

"And then, Savage Mechhound's effect gives it 500 attack for every monster it points to!"

(Savage Mechhound's ATK: **3200** )

"And lastly, I activate Eternal Mechknight's effect! For every monster it is Co-Linked to, I can negate the effect of a monster you control! So say good by to the effects of your Dual Bladers, and Cracking Dragon!"

With just a few simple commands, the effect monsters that Eddy and Littlefoot possessed were completely weakened. There was no chance that these monsters would be surviving this turn...

"Savage Mechhound will attack your 'magic swordsman'! And don't even try to activate your face-down. When Savage Mechhound attacks, you can't activate cards or effects until the end of the damage step!"

The hound let out a digitized version of a howl, and ran Eddy's way. 'Neo the Magic Swordsman' kept his combat stance the whole time, as Eddy waited for what was to come. Its metal teeth ripped into Neo in an extremely brutal fashion, and in a few seconds, the monster was sent away...

And Eddy began to feel the pain running through his system.

(Eddy's LP: **5700** )

"And don't think your punishment is over yet. When Savage Mechhound destroys a monster, it can make one more attack! Meaning I can take down the dragon that betrayed its master!"

(Savage Mechhound's second head crushes Cracking Dragon's neck between its jaw. Eddy's LP: **4700** )

Now, it was really starting to hurt, and Eddy was not liking it. It was his monsters getting destroyed, yet he felt the attacks. The one in Neo's shoulder, the one on Cracking Dragon's neck...

It was as if both were happening to him. As if he could _feel_ those metallic fangs ripping into his shoulder, piercing through his throat. Eddy cried out from the pain and grabbed at his neck, shuddering uncontrollably.

Littlefoot gave him a worried glance. Eddy couldn't bear to see Littlefoot look at him that way, to make him worry. To make him think he was weak. In a way, it pained him more than the Savage Mechhound had. Eddy steeled himself, and turned his attention toward his hand.

 _'At least I'm still standing.'_ he thought to himself, feeling the pain die down, _'But what did he mean by 'taking down my crutch'?'_ He pondered on the thoughts for a second, until it hit him. _'He means...'_

"Techno Bumper! Techno Gardna! Destroy the Cipher Dual Bladers!"

The two machines immediately came over and hit the two swordsmen with a brutal bludgeoning attack. Eddy could see the pain on his ally's face, as all he could do was take the attacks.

(Littlefoot's LP: **2400** )

 _'Of course that's what he meant,'_ Eddy thought, ashamed that he had not figured it out sooner. Even in spite of Eddy trying to do his best, Littlefoot was doing most of the heavy lifting. He was his 'crutch' because without his powerful 'Cipher' monsters, odds are Eddy would have lost.

And now, Littlefoot was about to lose, and Eddy can't do a thing to stop it...

 _'No! That's just quitter talk! I know I can help him! I have to have something! I have to have SOMETHING!'_

Eddy looked to his field, and noticed he still has his face-down card.

 _'Maybe I DO have something...'_

"This is the end! Eternal Mechknight, take down the rest of his Life Points!"

"Not if I have anything to say about it! I activate Nutrient Z, and use its effect on Littlefoot! He gains 4000 Life Points, more than enough to survive your Mechknight's attack!"

(Littlefoot's LP: **6400** )

(The knight's blade slashes over Littlefoot, but it doesn't do nearly as much damage as intended. Littlefoot's LP: **3100** )

Vanguard let out a low growl of discontent. "I end my turn!"

"Eddy, I owe you one!" Littlefoot called out, "Because of you, I can activate this! Cipher Intervention! During the end phase of a turn where I take 2000 damage or more, I can special summon 2 'Cipher' monsters from my deck or grave, as well as draw 1 card!"

The trap card faded, and the two Cipher Wings that Littlefoot had used before were returned to his field. He now had monsters to his name, and a card in his hand.

It wasn't much, but at the very least, it was something.

"My turn now! I draw!" Littlefoot drew this card with much more vigor, and as he saw what the card was, he smiled that same nostalgic smile. _'Figures I get you,'_ he said to himself, _'No matter what, she's always there for me when I need her most. In some form or another...'_

"From my hand, I activate the spell card, Double Exposure!" He declared, not an ounce of hesitation in his voice. "Now, the levels of my Cipher Wings are doubled, making them both Level 8 monsters! And you know what that means..."

Vanguard did indeed know what that meant, and he did not like it.

"I overlay my two Cipher Wings!"

The two machines turned into energy, and were brought into the vortex right beneath his feet.

"Galaxy shining in darkness! Embody the demon god of strength and become my mightiest servant! Xyz Summon! Descend, Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon!"

A pillar of light burst out of the vortex, and out of it appeared a mighty dragon, looking to be made of light. It was covered in brilliant shining armor, blue and red and gold. With a mighty roar, its wings flared open, which were as beautiful and vast as outer space itself.

Every monster on the battlefield seemed to shrink before its might.

( **ATK: 3000** /DEF: 2500)

"And now that I control a 'Cipher' Xyz monster, I can activate the effect of my Cipher Triceratops!"

The last card in his hand turned into energy, and dissipated. When it was gone, a mighty dinosaur colored the same as the rest of his 'Cipher' monsters was the next beast to join the group. It faded and every monster on Vanguard's field was covered in a bright blue energy.

"What exactly does your Cipher Triceratops do?" Vanguard asked with apprehension.

"I'm glad you asked," Littlefoot declared, enjoying the fact that he had Vanguard worried. "I can discard or tribute my Cipher Triceratops when I control a 'Cipher' Xyz Monster. And if I do, then all monsters my opponent controls have their effects negated!"

(Vanguard's Monsters' ATK: **1000** , **800** , **2500** , **1900** )

He let out a slight chuckle, and it seemed that he himself was getting covered in a similar blue glow. "Now, there is nothing you can do to stop this. By detaching an Overlay Unit, I can activate Cipher Dragon's effect! I take control of one of your monsters, and turn it into an exact replica of my dragon, in both name and statlines!"

'Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon' let out another roar, and from its wings came a bright light. It lasted for a few seconds, and when it was finished, 'Eternal Mechknight' was on Littlefoot's field. An illusion came up, making it look exactly like Littlefoot's Cipher Dragon.

( **'Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon's'** ATK: **3000** )

"Next, I'll activate both 'Cipher Diffusion' and 'Cipher Interference'! With the former, I'll decrease your former mechknight's attack down to 0, allowing my Cipher Dragon to attack 3 times! And with the latter, I can double the attack of my Cipher Dragon until the end of the battle phase! You're finished, Vanguard!"

(Cipher Dragon's ATK: **6000** )

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to disagree with you," Vanguard said, quietly. He was surprisingly calm, given the circumstances. "By banishing Eternity Code from my graveyard, I take no battle damage for the rest of the turn!"

"Fine by me!" Littlefoot shot back. "I can still destroy three monsters on your field. You're out of resources, and there is no way you'll make a comeback from this! Cipher Dragon, destroy his little machines!"

Eddy watched from the sidelines, genuinely amazed at the sight before him. Littlefoot had turned this duel around with just a few simple cards, and now the odds were in their favor. He watched as Cipher Dragon destroyed the first machine, then moving on to the second, then the third. Something about the might that Littlefoot was commanding that just... resonated with Eddy.

The thrill of watching these great beasts fight, the power behind each and every attack, the massive risk and reward that comes with every play...

It was unreal. Never is his wildest dreams did Eddy imagine he could be doing this.

 _'Now I get why I wasn't scared when I returned.'_ He told himself, finally understanding what he was thinking before. _'Because the thrill of being able to duel like this was overriding any fear. I love doing this!'_

Suddenly, he felt a slight stinging feeling running through his head, as his hearing seemed to get hazy.

 _'And that's all the more reason why I won't lose to you, Vanguard...!'_

"I end my turn!"

With those few little words said, the stolen 'Eternal Mechknight' was returned to Vanguard's field in its original form. Both Vanguard and Littlefoot looked to Eddy, wondering what he would do. He drew a card from the top of his deck without a word.

Both duelists were a little worried about the display before them. Eddy was near motionless, just standing there with the card drawn, and his eyes concealed from them. It was a bit off-putting...

"I activate the Spell card known as Rites of Synchro!"

The action was so sudden, as the spell card appeared on the field before Eddy. "With this spell card, I can add a Ritual Spell from my deck to my hand, and then summon a Tuner Token to my field!"

His deck shuffled, and he took out the ritual spell, which he revealed to them. At the same time, a small statue in the shape of a knight appeared on his field.

( **ATK: 0** /DEF: 0)

"Now, I'll activate the Black Luster Ritual I just got to my hand! By sending away my Gilford the Lightning, I can special summon Black Luster Soldier!"

(A bright energy appears, and from it comes a black-clad swordsman. **ATK: 3000** /DEF: 2500)

Eddy remained still for a few moments, before raising his head up, and looking straight at Vanguard. Vanguard himself started to shake at this, not because of the action, but because of what he saw in it...

Eddy's eyes had changed color. Now, they were a bright emerald green, and both Vanguard and Littlefoot could see the glow coming from them.

"Now, it is time." He said slowly, his voice extremely calm, yet commanding and powerful. "Since the token can be used as a Tuner monster, it allows me a brand new opportunity. I'll tune my Level 1 Tuner Token with my Level 8 Black Luster Soldier!"

"What!?"

The knight statue turned into a green energy ring, and Black Luster Soldier turned into 8 orbs of pure energy...

"Blessed by light and baptized by darkness! Come down on your enemies like the hammer of the gods, and show them what happens to those who oppose your might!"

A pillar of pure light appeared behind Eddy...

"Synchro Summon! Appear! Black Luster Soldier - Eternal Swordsman!"

From within the pillar of light, a silhouette could be seen. Out of it came what looked to be Black Luster Soldier, but with many small differences.

His armor looked sharper, his blade looked mightier, and his hair was a pure white. His eyes had an aura of fire around them, that made both Eternal Mechknight and its master terrified.

And why not? The creature before them was certainly a sight to see. They had never seen anything quite like it.

( **ATK: 3500** /DEF: 3000)

"You have nothing that you can do," Eddy told him, as a smirk started to creep onto his face. "You're out of cards, and soon to be out of monsters. It ends now. Black Luster Soldier, destroy Eternal Mechknight!"

With the command given, 'Black Luster Soldier' rushed to the monster in front of Vanguard, and in the blink of an eye, he had slashed clean through it.

(Vanguard's LP: **2400** )

"That all you got?!" Vanguard yelled out, grimacing from the pain. Still, he was determined to keep fighting. "This is nothing. Next turn I wi-"

"I'm afraid there won't be a next turn! Black Luster Soldier, attack again!"

"Wait, what?"

"When Synchro Summoned using a Warrior-type monster," Eddy elaborated, "Eternal Swordsman gets two attacks during every battle phase! As said before, you're finished!"

Black Luster Soldier twisted around, and his blade slashed directly over Vanguard' chest. He screamed in agony as the attack went through, and as soon as it was done, he fell to his knees.

(Vanguard's LP: **0** )

The monsters began to fade before the two. The duel was over...

They had won.

* * *

"Finally..." Eddy said in a low voice. His breathing was heavy and ragged. "It's over."

"And luckily, it looks like no one saw us," Littlefoot said, "I'd hate to have to explain this one to Robert."

Eddy only heard about half of what was said, because his senses were becoming hazier by the second. The world around him seemed to be fading, as the exhaustion he was feeling just continued to worsen.

 _'What's happening to me?'_ He asked himself, as his breathing began to slow a bit. _'I've never been so tired in my life... not even when Ed kept me up all those nights with his stupid questions!'_

There was nothing in his life that Eddy could compare to what he was feeling. It wasn't like being tired or even being in pain. It felt like... his body wouldn't listen. Almost as if his muscles didn't have the energy to move.

If he had to describe what he wasn't feeling in one word, it would probably be 'drained'.

"Hey... you oka-..."

His hearing faded in and out, and his eyes were getting heavier by the second. He heard Littlefoot speak to him, but not the words that he said. Eddy, not wanting him to worry, tried to reassure him that he would be just fine. The words barely came out above a whisper, and drained him even further.

"I'm okay... oka..."

He couldn't take it anymore. His eyes slowly shut, and he fell to the ground.

* * *

 **Footnotes**

 **(1): You can guess the theme of the custom cards I have given Littlefoot from this one card.**

 **(2): Yes, I am using the anime effects for certain cards. They're better. Sue me.**

 **Custom Cards**

 **⦁ Virus Wyrm (DARK, Level 1, Machine/Effect, ATK: 500/DEF: 0): When this card is summoned: you can tribute it to destroy all monsters on the field with 1500 or more attack. This effect cannot be negated. You can banish this card from your GY(Quick Effect): Activate 1 of your opponent's face-down cards, and resolve the effect. You can only use each effect of 'Virus Wyrm' once per duel.**

 **⦁ Killer Circuitry (EQUIP SPELL): Equip to a Machine-type monster you control: it gains 1000 ATK, also any battle or effect damage it inflicts to your opponents is doubled.**

 **⦁ Eternity Code (COUNTER TRAP): Activate this card during the End Phase of either players' turn, when you control no face-up monsters. Special Summon any number of Machine-type monsters in your GY, and if you do, pay LP equal to the combined ATK of all monsters Special Summoned by this effect. You can banish this card from your GY (Quick Effect); you take no battle damage for the rest of the turn.**

 **⦁ Techno Gardna (DARK, LINK-1, Link Down, Machine/Link/Effect, ATK: 1000): 1 Machine-type monster. Once per turn, you can Special Summon 1 Machine-type monster in the zone this card points to. The first time each turn that a Machine-type monster(s) you control would be destroyed, it is not destroyed.**

 **⦁ Eternal Mechknight (DARK, LINK-3, Links Up/Left/Right, Machine/Link/Effect, ATK: 2500): 2+ effect monsters. When this card is successfully Link Summoned: you can Special Summon 1 Level 1 Machine-type monster from your Deck with its effects negated. For each card Co-Linked to this monster, you can negate the effects of 1 monster your opponent controls. You can only use this effect of 'Eternal Mechknight' once per duel.**

 **⦁ Power Supporter (DARK, Level 1, Machine/Effect, ATK: 0/DEF: 0): If you control a Machine-type monster, you can special summon this card (from your hand).**

 **⦁ Techno Bumper (DARK, LINK-1, Link Left, Machine/Link/Effect, ATK: 800): 1 Machine-type monster. All Machine-type Link monsters you control gain 800 ATK. When this card is Link Summoned, decrease the ATK of all monsters your opponent controls by 800 until the End Phase. The first time a Link Monster you control would be destroyed, it is not destroyed.**

 **⦁ Savage Mechhound (DARK, LINK-2, Links Left/Right, Machine/Link/Effect, ATK: 1900): 2 Machine-type monsters. Cannot be destroyed by battle. Gains 500 ATK for each card it points to. When this card battles an opponent's monster, your opponent cannot activate cards or effects until the end of the Damage Step. When this card destroys an opponents monster by battle: it can make a second attack.**

 **⦁ Cipher Tyranno (LIGHT, Level 4, Dinosaur/Effect, ATK: 2000/DEF: 0): You can Special Summon this card (from your hand or GY) by shuffling 1 'Cipher' monster from your GY into your Deck. If this card is sent to the GY: you can add 1 'Cipher' monster from your Deck to your hand. You can only activate this effect of 'Cipher Tyranno' once per turn.**

 **⦁ Cipher Saurolophus (LIGHT, Level 4, Dinosaur/Effect, ATK: 1200/DEF: 1000): When your opponent declares an attack, you can discard this card (Quick Effect): negate the attack, and end the Battle Phase. You can banish this card from your GY (Quick Effect): you take no battle damage for the rest of this turn. You can only activate one effect of 'Cipher Saurolophus' per turn, and only once that turn.**

 **⦁ Cipher Loop (SPELL): Discard 1 'Cipher' monster; draw 2 cards.**

 **⦁ Cipher Dual Blader (LIGHT, Rank 4, Warrior/Xyz/Effect, ATK: 2100/DEF: 1200): 2 Level 4 monsters. Once per turn (Quick-Effect): you can detach 1 material to activate 1 of the following effects: (1) Special Summon 1 'Cipher Dual Blader' from your Extra Deck, and attach 1 'Cipher' monster from your GY to it as Material. (2) Target 1 'Cipher' monster you control; it cannot be destroyed (by battle or card effects) until the end phase, and you take no battle damage from battles involving the target.**

 **⦁ Cipher Trance (QUICK-PLAY SPELL): When you control two monsters with the same name, the ATK all monsters your opponent controls with higher ATK than that card become equal to that card's ATK.**

 **⦁ Cipher Intervention (COUNTER TRAP): Activate this card during the End Phase of a turn where you take 2000 or more damage. Special Summon 2 'Cipher' monsters from your Deck or GY, also draw 1 card.**

 **⦁ Cipher Triceratops (LIGHT, Level 4, Dinosaur/Effect, ATK: 1800/DEF: 600): If you control a 'Cipher' monster, you can Special Summon this card (from your hand). You can discard or tribute this card while you control a face-up 'Cipher' Xyz Monster: negate the effects of all monsters your opponent controls until the End Phase.**

 **⦁ Black Luster Soldier - Eternal Swordsman (LIGHT, Level 9, Warrior/Synchro/Effect, ATK: 3500/DEF: 3000): 1 tuner + 1+non-tuner monsters. If this card is Synchro Summoned using a Warrior-type monster, it can attack twice during each Battle Phase. Before damage calculation, you can banish a Warrior-type monster from your GY: increase this card's ATK by the banished card's ATK until the End Phase. When this card is destroyed: Special Summon 1 Warrior-type monster from your GY.**

 **So yeah, this chapter was long. I am exhausted. I don't think I'm going to work on this for at least a week. Give myself some time to relax.**

 **That being said, I'll probably work on the other fics for a bit. But if I get even _one_ comment telling me to work on a specific thing, I will deliberately not!**

 **And yes, I am still upset about that.**

 **Peace!**


	4. Chapter 4 - Reunions & Resolve

**So, I'm back, I'm relaxed, my mind has been brimming with possibilities, and I have made the next chapter of Duelist's World.**

 **Now, since I do have big plans for the world itself, I am going to have some chapters that are less dueling, more world and character building. It might make some chapters less exciting than others, but this is how I have decided to do this stuff.**

 **Anyways, enough on that. Enjoy!**

* * *

Eddy's vision returned slowly but surely, as he found himself staring at a similar colored ceiling to his apartment. He tried to turn his head to survey the rest of his surroundings, but even the slightest movement was impossible right now.

The feeling in his body had still not returned, but little by little, he was beginning to feel that change. Though as his feeling was coming back, he felt that he was laying on something plush and comfortable, as opposed to the rough wood planks of the pier.

And this just began to raise more questions that Eddy had no idea how to begin answering.

"I see you're awake," he heard an unfamiliar voice beckon from the side. "Sounds like you had one hell of a day."

Summoning his will, he turned his head to the left, and found the origin of the voice. It was a lovely young woman, about 17 if he had to guess, with short brown hair and brown eyes, dressed in what equated to a riding suit colored orange and purple.

"Uh... what am I looking at here?"

The girl laughed at Eddy's response, which while her laugh was delightful, it was still a bit irritating. "No seriously," He responded, trying to get answers, "Last I checked, I passed out on the pier."

"Oh you did," the girl responded, "But of course Littlefoot is too nice to just leave you out on the street. So he brought you here."

That helped to clear up some confusion for Eddy, and he made note to thank Littlefoot for not just bailing on him. But with that came many more questions, as he realized the context of the situation. After all, he still didn't even know where he was...

"Oh, and by the way, this is my apartment, and you're on my bed."

"... Are you some kind of mind reader?"

The girl burst out laughing at that, and Eddy turned slightly red. "Shut up!" He barked back, trying to hide the red, "It's a perfectly reasonable question! Have you seen half the crap going on around here!?"

"Oh, I can't disagree with you there! It's funny because... well, I've been called a lot of things, but that is a first!"

With the feeling having finally returned to his upper half, Eddy forced himself into sitting upright. He looked to the girl, and asked "So tell me, Ms... uh..."

"Bella. Bella Hyna."

"All right then. Tell me Bella, where the heck did Littlefoot go? Did he leave me here while he took that girl to the infirmary or some crap?"

"Well, Littlefoot left to discuss the issue with Robert." Bella said, "And as for Kelly, well... look to your right and you'll see."

Following her instructions, Eddy turned his head the other way, and was met with the exact sight he had been wondering about.

Eddy wasn't exactly sure if it was the exhaustion he was feeling or just because he is a teenager, but he found it extremely difficult not to stare. In the heat of the moment, he had not taken note of what she actually looked like, but now he got a full view of the girl he had worked hard to save.

And he had no qualms with admitting he liked what he saw.

She was thin and tall, as well as pale as a ghost, with long ginger hair that reached down to her mid-back and framed her face wonderfully. Her outfit consisted of a green sweater, black shorts, red high-tops, and a pair of black-framed glasses bringing the whole thing together.

And everything about her seemed to resonate with Eddy, almost as if it was someone he knew.

Of course, he knew that wasn't the case, but the feeling was still there.

"So her name is Kelly, is it?" He asked, still entranced by the sleeping girl before him. "Glad to know she is safe."

"Oh definitely, Lover Boy." Bella joked. "But she won't wake up for like an hour. Maybe you should instead focus on the two in the living room?"

"Two in the living room? What are you talking about?"

"Take a look."

Forcing himself to look away from Kelly, he finally stood up, and headed toward the open door. He saw a lovely living room, with a couch placed before a flatscreen TV. And on that couch, he saw the familiar sights of a black ski cap and a green jacket.

"Sockhead! Lumpy!"

The two responded by turning their heads, and Eddy could safely say that he hardly recognized them.

He knew that Double D was a blonde, but now his hair was long enough to where it was impossible to hide, and his piercing blue eyes seemed to stare into Eddy's soul. As for Ed, his ginger hair was still short, but it was no longer a buzz cut, and his brown eyes were now much more easy to tell the color of than in their previous world.

His only real hints were the clothing, but with that alone, he could tell them out in a sandstorm.

Eddy ran over to his friends and was expecting them to greet him warmly...

But instead, he was greeted by a slap from Double D. It didn't hurt necessarily - even in spite of Double D gaining some muscle mass since becoming a teenager - but it was a shock to the system all the same.

"Eddy, what the hell!?" Double D screamed, catching both of his friends off guard with his crassness. "Because of your foolhardy actions, you ended up getting us caught! How could you!?"

Admittedly, dealing with the consequences of his actions was not the first thing Eddy wanted to do when he got up, but he knew he would have to. So, he looked to his friend and said "Sorry about that one. But to be fair, we did get away from Kevin and Rolf."

"Correction: YOU got away from Kevin and Rolf, while Ed and I were given a 5-day suspension!"

Eddy's calm persona dropped a little when the gravity of the situation set in. It took a moment for the words to sink in, but when they did, it hit him like a freight train.

Because of his actions, he got his two best friends into big trouble...

"I... I didn't know. I'm so sor-"

"Do you honestly think an apology is going to fix this, Eddy!? Not this time!" Double D barked, forcing Eddy to remain silent. "I can't believe you would do something as idiotic as that!"

"Double D, stop!"

Both Eddy and Double D looked over to see that Ed finally stood up. His eyes were dead serious, a rare sight for the normally easygoing numbskull.

"Friends don't hurt each other!" He told the two, "Eddy didn't mean to get us in trouble and you know it!"

"But Ed, we got in trouble bec-"

"We got in trouble because of an accident!"

Silence reigned supreme for a few moments, as the other two Eds tried to comprehend this sight before them. Eventually Double D relented, and with a sigh, said "You're right, Ed. Strange as it may be to say, you are right."

And this personally left Eddy dumbfounded. Ed right about something? Double D being angry enough to be violent? It was enough to make him wonder if he was still dreaming.

"Are we okay, guys?" Eddy eventually found himself asking. "I know at least since I've come here, I've felt kinda weird. That kinda thing happened to you guys?"

"I... have been feeling sort of on edge since I returned to the Hub." Double D admitted. "And as for Ed... well he has made some interestingly rational choices since returning. It is a curious scenario, to be sure."

"Doesn't sound too curious to me." The three heard a voice from the side say. "Everyone acts weird when their powers first show up."

Looking over, the Eds were greeted by the sight of Bella standing in the doorway. The look on her smile said that she knew exactly what was going on, and it was clear that if they wanted to know, they had to ask.

"All right, I'll humor you!" Eddy told her, crossing his arms in annoyance. "What the heck are you talking about?"

"It's simple. Everyone that comes to the Tournament Hub gets a power put into them. It doesn't always show right away, but it's there."

Upon hearing that, the Eds' eyes all widened. "Wait, everyone? How?"

Bella simply shrugged. "From what I heard, it was a glitch in the selection system, and eventually they just decided to just roll with it. Now everyone who comes here gets something, even if they don't win."

"And how can you be so certain we have these 'Powers'?" Double D questioned, still more than a bit skeptical about the idea.

"Well, just think for a moment," she deadpanned. "When you woke up, you told me that you blacked out, having next to no memory of what happened in that duel, right?"

"Yes?"

"Don't you find that just a little suspicious, Double D?"

Considering those words, Double D tried his best to come up with a logical solution beyond 'Magic Powers'. There were many possibilities, but they all had a bunch of holes in their validity. Granted there were holes in the validity of what Bella was telling them, but the fact that he was even talking to Bella meant that the absurdity wasn't an issue.

Here he was, in another world, with Duel Disks that were far more advanced than anything he had ever seen. At this point, anything was possible...

 _'Geez, I'm starting to sound like Eddy!'_ He thought to himself, ever so slightly amused at his willingness to accept the impossible. He couldn't explain the situation, and yet he was surprisingly alright with that.

So, his only real option was to just 'roll with it'.

"Hey, just curious," Eddy chimed in, pulling a card out of his Extra Deck compartment. "Would suddenly having cards that don't exist in your world be a sign of a power?"

"Probably." Bella told him with a shrug. "You never know with these things."

"Wait, suddenly having cards that don't exist?" Double D questioned, "Eddy, are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"Depends on what you think I'm saying, Sockhead."

Both Ed and Double D activated their Duel Disks, and opened up their Extra Deck compartments. Out popped a single card from each of them, which they presented to their old friend. And as soon as he looked at them, he noticed a pattern...

'Black Luster Soldier- Eternal Swordsman'. A Synchro Monster based on Eddy's ace, BLS.

'Omega the Magna Warrior'. An Xyz Monster based on Double D's ace, Valkyrion.

'Ancient Summoned Demon'. A Fusion Monster based on Ed's ace, Summoned Skull.

"I think I get it." Ed said, once again surprising his friends. "Our favorite monsters have changed into new forms!"

"And they just happen to be based on three specific summoning methods." Eddy added in. "So, maybe it has something to do with that summoning method..."

While he was thinking on this, he saw that Double D was looking at him as if he had grown a second head. "What's with that look? You got something to add to this?"

"... Who are you two and what have you done with my friends?"

"How rude!" Eddy said, happily pretending that comment stung, "You're not the only one who can be smart around here, ya know?"

Double D just rolled his eyes. "I try not to think about it. I wouldn't want to get my hopes up."

"Heh heh, I guess I can't fault you there."

"That's so cool! We can make magic cards!" Ed shouted, grabbing his friends into a big hug. "We should make decks with this!"

A lightbulb immediately flashed on in Eddy's mind, as he wriggled his way out of the taller boy's vice grip. "That's actually not a bad idea, Lumpy." He told them, "After all, I'm a competitor in the tournament, and I plan on not going down without putting up the best damn fight I can."

"Oh, you're a competitor, Eddy?" he heard Bella say as she walked over to the three. "That's actually pretty good if you plan on getting some revenge on Robert for that defeat."

"Wait, you know about that?" Eddy asked, to which Bella responded with "Sorry to say, but basically everyone knows about that one. Someone was recording, and the video happened to get sent to me."

"Hm... I see." Eddy said, his voice barely above a whisper. "So then... I guess that gives me at least one reason to go far in this tournament. I'm going to duel circles around that jerk!"

"It is absolutely astounding what motivates you, Eddy."

"Shut it, Sockhead!"

"As fascinating as this conversation is," Bella cut in, "If you three are looking to make new decks, I could offer a hand or two."

"Is that right?" questioned Eddy, "And why would you help three dudes who you only just met?"

"To be perfectly honest with you," she stated, a slight grin on her face, "I also kind of wanna see Robert get a lesson in humility. And since I am unfortunately not a competitor, I can't really do that."

Eddy couldn't help but smile at that. "So in exchange for these new decks, we have to beat Robert for you? Sounds fair."

"Great! Now, how about we get started?"

"Sounds good to me."

With that decided, along with figuring out that both Double D and Ed were competitors as well, the three began the preparation phase of their plan.

* * *

According to Bella, the top 256 started this Friday and ran all the way through Sunday - a time frame coinciding with the release of the new Link Cards. They would not be given any indication of which day they were dueling until the higher-ups released the official bulletin. But even so, that meant 3 to 5 days that could be spent practicing with their new decks.

And that meant they had about 3 to 5 days to figure out the advancements to all of the summoning methods they were now given access to.

While Bella had been explaining how some of the summoning methods worked, Eddy snuck away for a bit, and was out leaning over the balcony.

He looked out over the Spade Sector, taking note of the Duelists down below, and trying to pay attention to their moves - especially those of any Synchro users he noticed. His hope was that he would be able to recapture that observant nature he had during the duel against Vanguard.

But unfortunately, that didn't seem to be the case. Whatever he had before seemed to have faded away. That wasn't to say that he couldn't pay attention to the moves, but it was just harder to contextualize them.

And realizing that he was still thinking on these powers made him wonder a bit. Would this power really be able to help him any? And for that matter, what even was it supposed to be? The only evidence he really had was a card of a summoning method he was still unfamiliar with...

"U-um, excuse me?"

Eddy's focus was taken away from these thoughts when he heard a meek little voice right behind him. Turning around to find the source, his bluish-greens were met with a pair of grayish-blue eyes that drew him in faster than any other feature.

It took him a moment before his focus left those eyes, to see they belonged to none other than Kelly.

"You're Eddy, right? The one who saved me?" she asked quietly, eyes full of wonder.

"That's my name, Sleeping Beauty." Eddy joked. "Glad to see you're okay, by the way."

Kelly looked away, a slight pinkish tint on her cheeks. "Um..."

"Come on now, Kelly. I don't bite. What do you want?"

"W-well..." she hesitated for a moment, before taking a deep breath. "I wanted to say... thank you. Thank you for what you did for me."

Hearing that brought a smile to the weary conniver's face. "What, that?" he asked, feigning humility, "Don't worry about it. I'm pretty sure any decent human being would have done the same."

"But it's not just that!" She suddenly said, her voice raised at least two levels, before shrinking back down, "I... heard everything from Bella. She told me about Robert, about the Dark Duelist, about your deck. You risked a lot, all for some stranger..."

"Huh... I guess I did." Eddy shrugged, kind of enjoying the praise, when suddenly opportunity came to mind. "But enough about me. I need to know a bit about you."

Kelly looked visibly shocked at that, but smiled a weak smile at the shorter boy. "O-okay. What do you need to know?"

"Just one thing for right now." Eddy said, sticking up his pointer finger to accentuate the point. "You're a Synchro user, right?"

"Yeah?"

"Then follow-up question." Eddy said, approaching her and pulling out his 'Eternal Swordsman' card, as well as 'Rites of Synchro' from his Main Deck. "Are these Synchros card that exist where you come from?"

She looked at them for only a moment, before saying "No. I've never seen cards like these before in my life. I was especially unaware that 'Ritual Synchro' support support was a thing."

"Really?" Eddy asked, leaning against the railing as he tried to read her expressions. "Well, guess that means people won't know them that much." He chuckled for a moment, upon realizing exactly what that entailed.

"So, are you planning on making a Synchro deck, then?" Kelly asked Eddy, pulling him out of it. He nodded, and told her "That's the idea anyway. But honestly, I don't even know where to begin."

"Doesn't that scare you...?"

"Hell no!" He declared without a second thought. "So I don't know a damn thing about this summoning method! Doesn't mean I can't learn."

Kelly was genuinely speechless at that one, and Eddy could see that he had said something that resonated with her. _'Well, good to see I picked the right words.'_ he thought, trying to keep his confident visage. _'If I'm gonna make it in this tournament, I will need to keep my spirits up.'_

"That's a really brave way of looking at it." Kelly said, a genuine smile appearing on her face for the first time this entire chat. "W-well..."

"'Well', what? I ain't got all day here."

He waited for her response, which once again began with a deep breath in. "If you need someone to teach you Synchro Summoning, then I'll do it!" she declared, showing Eddy a slight bit of hidden courage on her part. "Back in my hometown, there is no one who knows the summoning method like I do."

"Is that right?"

"Yes! Yes it is!" She said without hesitation. "Stick with me, and you will learn! Guaranteed!"

Eddy's mouth went agape for a few seconds, and he found himself smiling. _'Damn... hidden courage indeed. I'm startin' to like this girl.'_

"Alright then." he pushed off the railing and looked Kelly right in the eyes. "If you're up for it, then I'll let you teach me how to Synchro Summon."

"Y-you will?" Kelly asked in shock, before shaking her head. "I mean, of course you will! We'll start later today!" She backed up, opening the door behind her. "I-I'll come get you later!"

She quickly stepped inside. "Th-that's all for now!"

And suddenly, she slammed the door, and Eddy was back to being confused. _'Talk about a sudden shift. One moment she's talking all confident, the next she's hiding away.'_

He stared at the door, still taking in the the scene that just happened before him. The closest thing he had to a real reaction to it was a laugh.

"I don't understand that girl." He said to no one in particular, just feeling that it needed to be said. "Oh well. I'm sure I'll get to know her better eventually."

He turned around, and looked to the people below once again.

"Though again, there is something vaguely familiar about her. I just can't put my finger on it..."

* * *

 _'Oh god, did I really just make that offer!?'_

Kelly covered her face with her hands, desperately trying to ignore the heat she felt on her cheeks. _'I didn't think he would actually say yes!'_

She sat down on the couch, slightly flustered at the fact that she was actually brazen enough to do something like that. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined she would offer her services as a duelist to anyone, much less a cute boy.

 _'Did I just think of him him as cute? Oh god! This isn't good!'_

There were very few times where Kelly had ever taught anyone to duel, and those were her friends Jaime and Rachel. But with both of them it was easy. They were all girls with a common interest!

Whereas if she was to train with Eddy, she had no doubt that she would make a total fool of herself. It always happened when she was around boys!

 _'Actually no. That's not right.'_ she corrected, _'I seem to make a total fool out of myself around EVERYONE!'_

A few moments of heavy breathing later, and Kelly could hear that the room was completely silent, and took her hands away from her face to see what was going on. She had expected that Eddy would probably come in and question what that was, leading to more awkward small talk.

But of course, that was probably just her inner pessimist talking.

 _'I gotta calm down,'_ she told herself. _'Panicking won't do me any good! Come on Kelly, pull yourself together!'_ She took a deep breath in, and tried to let these worrisome thoughts drift away.

If she was going to teach him how to Duel with the Synchro method, she would need to be confident. She couldn't let insecurities get in the way, not only in helping Eddy get further in the tournament, but in getting further in the tournament herself.

 _'I just need to keep my cool. Like Eddy was.'_ she said reassuringly. _'He was so confident, even in the face of danger. You need to try to be like that too.'_ As she was thinking this, an idea struck her.

 _'And maybe now is the best time to do that! I'll be working with him for the next few days, so that's a good chance to learn how to keep my spirits up!'_

Kelly looked to the door, and remembered the surehearted ravenette behind it. She remembered his smile, and the tone in his voice. The confidence in those words was something else to her...

And for some reason, it was also something vaguely familiar to her.

 _'But nevermind that!'_ She said, refocusing herself. _'I have work to do. Eddy is counting on me to teach him all about Synchro Summon. And teach him to Synchro Summon I will!'_

Kelly stood up from the couch, and looked to her duel disk. From within her extra deck compartment, she pulled out a single card - a Synchro Card, to be specific.

Looking at brought a smile to her face, as she remembered a simpler time. A time before she had known how to use these cards. A time before she had grown to love Dueling...

A time before she had to deal with _them._

 _'Eddy's just like me, in a way.'_ Kelly told herself, the smile not fading any. _'He also started out with only one Synchro Monster, and a will to learn.'_ Conviction burned in her mind, as she placed the card back into her Extra Deck holder.

 _'And I'll see to it that he does learn. If nothing else, I'll see to it that he isn't completely lost for the first rounds.'_

With nothing left to say, she walked towards the table, took out a pen and paper, and began planning her 'Synchro Method Training Regimen'.

* * *

 **And there you have it. We have Kelly, we have the Eds, and we have Bella.**

 **Shout out to GeneralHyna for letting me use her character. Hope I portrayed her right.**

 **And as always, read, review, do all that good stuff. For now, I'm going to go and do something else.**

 **Peace!**


	5. Chapter 5 - Conflict Brings Strength

Two days have passed since the Eds had been taken in by Bella, and by her own regimen, they had learned quite a bit.

None of them would have expected learning a card game to be a strenuous task, but they could safely say otherwise after this. Bella was a very helpful (albeit ruthless) coach, teaching them the importance of things such as deck consistency and resource management. Yet even with all of this, they needed much practice.

"Black Luster Soldier! Attack Double D directly!"

And coincidentally, now was one of their practice matches. Out in the open, it was Eddy vs Double D, and it has not been going too well for the latter. Despite his constant updates to the deck, he has felt like no progress was made. Xyz Monsters were certainly a major boon to his strategy, and yet, he was having trouble applying their powers.

(Double D's LP: **0** )

The Synchro warrior vanished from the field, and just like that, the Duel was over. Double D sat down in a chair, letting out an audible groan at the result. "Of course!" He said with obvious snark. "I should have known that would happen!"

"Ah, calm down, dude." Eddy told him, "It's no big deal!"

"No big deal!? Eddy, I hope that isn't the mentality you compete with!"

A quiet chuckle escaped Eddy's mouth, as he merely told his buddy "You worry too much, man. It's only the top 256 this weekend. We should be fine."

"I worry too much!?" Double D stood up, looking at his long-time friend, "Eddy, this is a tournament! We should treat it as such!"

As the two stared at each other, they heard footsteps heading their way. Looking over, the two saw both Bella, Kelly, and Ed heading their way.

"Hey guys," their new mentor told 'em, "It looks like you got some matches in of your own."

"Hell yeah," Eddy said, "And what about you guys?" He looked over to Kelly, and asked her "Is ol' Lumpy putting up a good fight?"

Kelly nodded. "Indeed he is. Fiends and Fusion were a good combination for him."

"I AM ED! MASTER OF DEMONS FROM THE 7TH CIRCLE OF SOMEWHERE!"

Eddy chuckled a little at that one, before looking back to see that Double D was sitting at a table, more than a bit upset. Not liking that look on his face, Eddy came over, and asked "What's up, Sockhead?"

Double D looked up at Eddy and realized that he had worried his friend. And to make it worst, he had worried his friend over something silly.

"Honestly..." he started, slowly, "I don't think I'm doing too good. And it's got me..."

Surprisingly, Eddy didn't say something snarky, and just sat there with a look on his face. "I get it," he said, finally, "You're worried that you're going to lose the tournament in like the first round, yeah?"

Double D deadpanned, more than a little irritated at the fact that he was simplifying it so much. But even so, he was glad that Eddy is trying to listen. That was more than he had honestly been expecting.

"It's more than that, Eddy, but I guess that's a good point to start." Double D responded, "I'm still very confused about what's going on lately."

"Oh, I don't blame ya, dude. It's pretty crazy."

"And yet somehow you're calm?"

It was now Eddy's turn to deadpan, as he looked Double D right in the eyes. "Dude, how many times do I have to say this?" He asked, his voice holding the annoyance that his face didn't convey, "What good is panicking going to do? We're here, and there ain't a damn thing we can do about it!"

"Exactly! How can you be so sure we'll be okay?"

"Because it's not a problem! We'll be out of here soon!"

"But how do you know that!?"

"Oh, for pete's sake, Sockhead! Stop being paranoid!"

Double D was taken aback by that comment, and Eddy realized too late what he had said. His focus immediately left his long-time friend. "Look… I'm so-"

"Paranoid? Is that how you see me?"

"No! I was jus- I mean I w- ugh! You get what I meant, right?"

Double D stood up, his hands shaking before he clenched them into fists. "Yeah," he said, trying to sound as neutral as possible, "I see how it is..."

Without another word, Double D picked up his Duel Disk, and walked in the opposite direction.

"Wait! I'm sorry, man!" Eddy said, trying to reach him to some degree. But Double D wasn't going to listen, as evidenced by the fact that he didn't even slow his pace.

Eddy stood up from his chair, ready to follow, before he felt a small hand on his shoulder. Looking back, his eyes met with Bella's. "Don't go after him," she commanded, her voice leaving no room for argument. "He needs some time to himself."

"What!? No way!" Was Eddy's response, as he pulled himself out of her grip.

"Remember what I said about the powers? He's going through a lot of emotions right now. And clearly, so are you."

"What are you talking about!?"

Bella sat him down, before taking a seat right across from him. "The powers are never simple. Sometimes it can take days or even weeks before a body is used to its powers. And in that time, it can make a person's mind go weird."

All Eddy could offer was a raised eyebrow. "Go weird?"

She thought for a few moments, not really sure what she could describe the symptoms as. "Well, it's… uh. Jeez, how do I put this? … Basically, imagine puberty, but worse."

Eddy's eyes went wide at that one. "Uh, no thank you!"

Bella raised her hands in defense. "Look, it's not that bad!" she said awkwardly, realizing that comparing it to that was probably not the best choice. "It just means you need some time to adjust."

"So what? Am I just supposed to let him walk off and be angry for a while?"

To this, Bella shrugged. "No two people go through it alike. We have to trust him to figure out his issues. Just as I'm sure you need to figure out yours."

"Say what now?"

"Well, have you ever snapped at him like that before?"

"Not since the movie."

Bella responded only with a knowing gaze, and the realization hit Eddy like a ton of bricks.

"Oh..."

* * *

Double D walked out to the edge of the Spade Sector, no sense of where he was going. All he could think of was what had happened, as he tried to understand.

'' _Paranoid', he says!'_ Double ranted inside his head, not happy about that one, ' _Yeah, well maybe I am! So what!? It just means I'm actually using my brain around here! He could stand to show a modicum of caution!'_

He continued to walk around for another minute or two, just letting himself finish what he wanted to say. In his head, all that he could think about was the fact that Eddy had insulted him, but he had no idea why he was obsessing over it so much.

Eddy had insulted him before, but this one just… hurt.

' _Why can't they just understand what I want to tell them!? It's like we're on two completely different wavelengths! They don't get a damn thing I'm trying to say to them!'_

This statement made Double D in his tracks, and as he looked around, he saw that he was alone. The group was nowhere in sight…

All because he had lost his cool. Something he seems to have been doing a lot lately.

' _What is up with me lately…? I'm so on edge.'_

He sat down at the nearby fountain, taking in the surroundings for a moment. No one else was here right now, and the peace of the moment finally gave him a chance to think.

Looking back to the water, something seemed… off.

Coming closer to the water, Double D tried to analyze his facial features a bit, to determine what had seemed so different.

And that was when he noticed it.

All throughout his blue irises, there were little flicks of black. A pure black, almost as dark in shade as that of his pupil.

"Oh god… what's happening to me?" He questioned, bringing his hand to his face to confirm that the eyes he saw were indeed his own. "Am I going insane?"

" _Insanity is a bit much."_

Double D jumped back at that, upon hearing those words said by a voice near identical to his own. There was no indication of where it came from or who did it; the only thing he knew was that he did not say those words, and yet they had been said by a voice all too familiar.

Getting back to his feet, he let out a heavy sigh at that. "I'll take that as a yes..."

"I'd keep from talking to yourself."

Double D tensed at hearing such a voice. Looking back, he was greeted by a cloaked man with golden eyes, a malicious grin adorning his face.

"You might attract the wrong type of attention."

In any other circumstance, Double D would have likely made a break for it while the man was running his mouth. But there was something strange about this man. Something familiar…

"Your name wouldn't happen to be Vanguard, would it?" He asked, remembering this name from Eddy's story. The man did not say anything, but rather, offered a curt nod. All the confirmation he really needed.

"So then, you're a Dark Duelist?"

Vanguard merely raised his arm, revealing his Duel Disk. "Perceptive little bastard." He said as the energy blade materialized. "But enough questions. I challenge you to a duel!"

Double D stood completely silent, tense because of the fact that he was in the presence of one of these guys. ' _This is exactly the kind of thing I was worried about!'_ He mentally reprimanded himself, ' _Damn it, me! I should have never walked off! I need to get back now.'_

"While a rousing round of Duel Monsters certainly sounds fun," Double D told the man, trying to keep his composure, "I really must be getting back to my comrades now. They're undoubtedly worried about me."

As Double D tried to walk forward, Vanguard blocked his way. His grin was gone, and all that was left was a glare.

"Perhaps I should have made my wording more clear." Vanguard said, pushing the smaller man back. "You WILL duel me!"

"Rrgh… right to the point, I see..."

Double D contemplated his options for a moment, as he looked around searching for a possible escape. He did not want to face a deadly opponent yet, and especially with how little confidence he had in his deck. This would no doubt end in failure…

"Or if you'd rather, I could always go after one of your friends..."

"OVER MY DEAD BODY, DICKHEAD!"

An orange energy blade flared to life, as Vanguard smirked at the angry teen before him.

After a few seconds, Double D's eyes widened as he realized what he had done. There was no turning back now, and all because of a choice that he was not even 100 percent sure of why he made.

' _Just more proof that something is wrong with me today...'_

As he regained his composure, he looked to Vanguard to see that he was laughing a little.

"Seems I struck a nerve." He laughed. "I didn't think you would be this easy to manipulate. So, we're going to duel, then?"

"It's not like I really have a choice in the matter, now do I?" Double D shot back, being sure to add a layer of snark to what he said. "Fine then, I'll duel you!"

"Then let's get to it!"

"DUEL!"

* * *

(Double D's LP: **8000** )

(Vanguard's LP: **8000** )

"Since you forced me into this predicament, I'll take the first move!" Double D told his opponent, before grabbing his first five cards. He looked down to see what was in his hand, and begun his analysis immediately.

' _Ok, this isn't a poor hand, per se,'_ He noted, taking in the details of his cards. ' _And if nothing else, I can put a decent amount of monsters out for protection... Yeah! I can make this work!'_

"To start," he said, placing a card on his Duel Disk blade. "I summon 'Beta the Magnet Warrior'!"

(A small yellow robot with magnets for hands appears. **ATK: 1700** /DEF: 1600)

Seeing the 'Magnet Warriors' that he had placed his faith into, Double D couldn't help but feel hopeful. He had been able to count on them before, and it wasn't as if they've ever let him down. ' _Barring my defeat by Robert,'_ he reminded himself, ' _But I attribute that to that lucky Raigeki.'_

"And next, I play the Spell card 'Ties of the Bretheren'! By paying 2000 Life Points, I can special summon his fellow Magnet Warriors to the field!"

(Double D's LP: **6000** )

(The other two members of the Magnet Warrior trio appear on the field. DEF: **1700, 1800** )

"So you were able to fill your field with three weak monsters." Vanguard responded to this move, looking at Double D with a condescending grin, "But now you can't do anything with them. So what was the point of that one?"

"For this!" Double D countered, "I play 'Brotherhood of the Magnets'! Now I gain 1000 Life Points for every 'Magnet Warrior' monster on my field! Meaning I get back what I lost and then some!"

(Double D's LP: **9000** )

"And with that, I shall set a card face-down and end my turn!"

Vanguard nodded, and drew a card. Double D paid attention to him, waiting to see what he was going to do.

' _If memory serves of what Eddy told me, Vanguard's deck is comprised of Dark Machine monsters. He might use that 'Cracking Dragon' that Eddy referenced, or pull some Link Monsters out of his ass...'_

As Double D was pondering this, his eyes widened at the realization of how he had worded that.

'' _Pull it out of his ass'? That was such a crude way to put it...'_

"I DRAW!"

Double D's attention was brought back to the matter at hand, as Vanguard drew a card from his deck. "I suppose your little friend told you all about me, didn't he?" Vanguard questioned tauntingly.

"Only that he whooped your ass!" Double D shot back, before reeling back at his sudden vulgarity. To this, Vanguard laughed.

"Well don't expect the same result on your end. I activate Ancient Gear Mania! This spell card lets me Normal Summon an additional Ancient Gear monster this turn!"

Hearing that caught Double D off guard. He had heard about the Ancient Gear archetype since coming to the Hub, and these cards were most certainly would not fit the playstyle that Eddy told him Vanguard had gone with.

' _Had he switched Decks since last time?'_

"And next," the Dark Duelist continued, "I'll play the Continuous Spell known as 'Ancient Gear Power Plant', before Normal Summoning my Ancient Gear Wyvern!"

(A small dragon made of ancient machinery appears. **ATK: 1700** /DEF: 1200)

"Take a good look, kid, because this is the cog that gets the whole machine rolling!" He taunted, pulling a card out of his deck. "First, it allows me to add an Ancient Gear monster from my deck to my hand. Then, because I control an 'Ancient Gear' monster, I can special summon Ancient Gear Core from my hand!"

(A small machine with a bright yellow energy core in its center appears. **ATK: 800** /DEF: 100)

(A second core appears immediately afterwards.)

"Two of them!?" Double D stammered, shocked at the sudden field presence his opponent had. "And with an additional Normal Summon..."

"Putting it together, are we?" Vanguard smiled that same dark smile, that made Double D really want to punch him. "I tribute both of my Ancient Gear Cores to summon the big boss himself! Introducing Ancient Gear Golem!"

The two Cores vanish from the battlefield, and are replaced by a mighty machine, towering over any other beast on the field.

( **ATK: 3000** /DEF: 3000)

"And now it's time for you to learn why he's the big boss! Ancient Gear Golem, attack Beta the Magnet Warrior!"

The giant brought its arm back, as if to throw a giant punch aimed straight at Double D's only Attack position monster. But he wasn't willing to lose that easily.

"I activate Neg-"

"No you don't." Vanguard smirked. "When Ancient Gear Golem attacks, you can't activate Spells or Traps until after he is done attacking!"

"What!?"

The mechanized arm came towards Beta the Magnet Warrior with the speed of a rocket, and in an instant, the smaller bot was destroyed.

(Double D's LP: **7700** )

"And with that, I end my turn!"

Double D gritted his teeth, and drew his card without saying a word. Placing it in his hand for analysis, he immediately realized just what he could do with this.

"I activate Monster Reborn!" He said, a circle opening up in the ground as the card appeared. "With this, I can Special Summon Beta right back to the field!"

(The small magnet robot appeared as the circle faded. **ATK: 1700** )

"And what do you intend to do with that little weakling?" Vanguard taunted, before noticing the smile on Double D's face.

"I'll be activating this! Magnetism Draw! By shuffling all 'Magnet Warrior' monsters on my field into the deck, I can draw cards from my deck equal to the amount of shuffled monsters plus one!"

In an instant, the three 'Magnet Warriors' turned into orbs of energy and returned into Double D's deck. After a brief auto-shuffle, he was given four cards off the top of the device, and took them into his hand graciously.

And surprisingly enough, Beta had returned to him again.

"And now, it's time to refill this field! And I'll do that with the Spell card Magnetic Equivalence!"

As he said this name, Double D felt a stinging pain in his chest. Clutching at it, his vision went blurry for a moment, but he felt as if he was more energized than ever. ' _I swear, it's as if someone else is trying to take over… I feel like I'm losing myself.'_

But eventually, he forced these thoughts out of his head, and brought his attention back to his move. "While I control no monsters, I can special summon Magnet Warriors from my deck equal to the number of monsters my opponent controls! So return to the field, Alpha and Gamma!"

As if on cue, the two Magnet Warriors returned, this time readying themselves for something.

"And next, I bring out Beta one more time!"

(The three warriors are reunited, and nod at each other.)

"And to end the summoning for now, I will shuffle my face-down Trap into the Deck! By doing this, I can Special Summon Trap Trader!"

(The face-down vanishes, and in its place, a small little fiend appears. **ATK: 0** /DEF: 0)

"For all the good it'll do you!" Vanguard laughed. "What's a little Fiend to do in the presence of a mighty golem?"

"By tributing him when Special Summoned by its own effect, I can set 1 Trap Card directly from my deck! So, I'll place Magnetic Tower face down!"

Suddenly, an idea ran through the back of Double D's mind, as he remembered something from before. When he had come here, he had gotten into a duel that was all but forgotten by him. All except for one little part…

Looking through his Extra Deck list, he was very happy to see that part was not just something he imagined. ' _Looks like I got a chance'_ he said, ' _Time to break this bastard! … And then figure out why I'm being so vulgar today.'_

"Now, using my three Magnet Warriors, I'm going to Xyz Summon!"

And for the first time all battle, Double D could see Vanguard's confident visage crack, even if just slightly.

"Normally, I would need 3 Level 9's, but I can also summon this guy by overlaying 3 Level 4 Magnet Warriors!"

"Oh god..." Vanguard groaned, as Double D's monsters turned into energy, and went into a beautiful vortex. This action coincided with a sudden surge of energy that ran through Double D, his eyes seeming a lot darker in shade than before.

"Xyz Summon! Come forth, Omega the Magna Warrior!"

A pillar of light shot forth from the vortex, and from within it, a mechanized soldier appeared. Its appearance was very similar to that of 'Valkyrion', but its was sleeker and more streamlined, with a larger sword and shield, as well as massive mechanical wings.

As the warrior took its place on the battlefield, even Ancient Gear Golem looked to have some apprehension.

( **ATK: 4000** /DEF: 4350)

"It's time!" Double D told his opponent through gritted teeth. "Go, Omega! Destroy Ancient Gear Golem!"

On command, the Magna Warrior flies up with its mighty wings, and cleaves through Ancient Gear Golem's neck effortlessly. The mighty beast's head falls off its shoulders, before it dissipates off the field.

(Vanguard's LP: **7000** )

"And now, entering my Main Phase 2," Double D continued, feeling very good after that impressive display, "I'll activate Swords of Revealing Light! Now you cannot attack me for 3 turns! And with that, I'll end my turn!"

"Then it's my move! At this moment, I activate Ancient Gear Power Plant's effect! Instead of drawing, I get to add an Ancient Gear card from my deck to my hand! I'll add Ancient Gear Fusion!"

Double D studied Vanguard's expressions, trying to find any semblance of a tell. But unfortunately for him, there were no clues on exactly what he had planned. He just… stood there, near expressionless.

But then, he saw a change.

"I activate Ancient Gear Workshop, returning my Golem right back to my hand!" Vanguard declared, looking as confident as ever. "And now, by banishing both of my Ancient Gear Cores from my Graveyard, I can treat them as if they are tributed, and Tribute Summon my Golem right back to the field."

(The Mechanized monster reappears. **ATK: 3000** )

"And now, that he is on the field, the stage is set for Ancient Gear Fusion! Normally I'd need cards from my field, but thanks to Golem being used for the fusion, I can throw out cards from my deck as well!"

Double D's eyes widened, realizing what that meant. Since he had Golem on the field, if he needed certain things to fuse with it…

He would have no problem getting them.

"I fuse my Golem and Wyvern from my field," he says, raising his hand to the sky, "As well as my Ancient Gears Reactor Dragon and Hunting Hound from my Deck! With these four ancient machines, I Fusion Summon my strongest monster! CHAOS ANCIENT GEAR GIANT!"

The Golem and Wyvern both vanish from the field and join a giant orb of energy in the sky. After a few seconds of suspense, the orb breaks apart revealing what Double D could only assume was the mighty creature.

Chaos Ancient Gear Giant towered higher than any other monster he had seen in this game, with its armor being made of a cobalt blue, and with a hellhound motif. It looked down to Double D with on giant red eye, and for a moment, he felt as if his heart had stopped…

( **ATK: 4500** /DEF: 3000)

"And now, it's time for me to break you apart! Chaos Ancient Gear Giant! Destroy Omega the Magna Warrior!"

"W-Wait! You can't do that!" Double D stammered. "Swords of Revealing Li-"

"Yes, I am aware that card prevents monsters from attacking, which is exactly why I summoned Chaos Giant! This monster is unaffected by the effects of Spells and Traps, so Swords of Revealing Light is worthless!"

And as if the Monster knew that, it threw its arms back and brought its fist right into Omega's form. Omega tried to resist for a few moments, but was ultimately overpowered by the larger mech.

(Double D's LP: **7200** )

"In response, I activate Omeg-"

"Afraid not..." Vanguard said simply, "While in the Battle Phase, Chaos Giant makes it to where opponent's monsters cannot activate their effects!"

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me!"

"Not at all. And with that, I'll end my turn."

At this point, Double D felt his fists clenching unconsciously, as his field was once again near empty. There was nothing he could really do, and he was at a major disadvantage against such a beast…

He was going to have to rely on his next card to make his plays…

"It's my move!" He finally declared, "I draw!"

Looking to the card, he saw it was something he had gotten from Bella. It was a card she claimed she created, and was actually a really useful monster.

' _Well, it's the only thing I can play,'_ Double D said, as he finally unclenched his other fist. ' _It's time to go balls out!'_ He grabbed the card, and looked at his opponent, then back to his hand.

' _The fact that I am actually okay with what I just said is very concerning… but whatever! Let's just go for it!'_

"Earth to victim!" He heard Vanguard shout out, which of course returned his focus. "Are you going to make a move or not!?"

"Gladly!" Double D retorted. "By shuffling Omega back into my Extra Deck, I can special summon Sigma the Magnet Warrior! And when he is summoned by his own effect, I can add a card like Magnetism Draw from my deck to my hand!"

(A small little bot with Magnets on its shoulders appears. **ATK: 1000** /DEF: 1900)

"And now, welcome back some old friends who simply refuse to die! By banishing Brotherhood of the Magnets, I can special summon back all three Magnet Warriors from my Grave!"

(In a flash of light, the Magnet Warriors that formed Omega return.)

"I'm starting to notice a pattern here." Vanguard laughed. "Let me guess, you're going to use Magnetism Draw to send them back to get some new cards."

"You know, just because you can predict it, doesn't mean that's gonna help you! But yes, I'll be sending back Alpha, Beta, and Gamma, to get four new cards!"

And get four new cards, Double D did. Looking to his newly filled hand, he saw a number of possible combos, and his mind eventually settled on one.

"And I'm not done drawing yet!" He declared confidently, "With the Spell card Machine Beat, I can tribute Sigma to draw 2 more cards!"

"Aren't the Magnet Warriors all rocks?" Vanguard questioned.

"Sigma counts as a Machine too. It's written in his effect."

As soon as this little exchange had completed, Double D found himself with another two cards to his name. These two cards were not much, but they only helped to further the plan he was making in his head.

"To start my actual plays, I'll activate the continuous Spell, Strength of the Meek! And to show what its effect does, I will summon Mechanicalchaser!"

(A mechanized hunter with numerous weapons appears. **ATK: 1850** /DEF: 800)

(Suddenly, a powerful energy surrounds the machine. **ATK: 3050** )

"What the hell!?" Vanguard asked incredulously.

"As I said, it's the effect of Strength of the Meek!" Double D explained, "Level or Rank 4 monsters I control gain 200 attack, multiplied by the difference between its Level and the Level of the highest Level monster my opponent controls!"

"Meaning…?"

"Chaos Giant is making my monsters stronger, by virtue of being a Level 10!"

Seeing Vanguard's look of shock at this statement made Double D feel very good. ' _And that's just the tip of the iceberg of asskicking that's coming your way.'_

"But even so," Vanguard countered, "That piddly little machine can't even hold a candle to my Chaos Giant!"

"And it has no intent to; at least not alone! I'll activate the Spell card, 4 Star Aether! While I control a Level 4 or Lower Monster, I can pay 1000 Life Points to summon another straight from my deck! So join your brother in arms, X-Head Cannon!"

(A blue colored legless robot with cannons on its shoulders appears.)

Noticing that he had two monsters on his field, Double D searched through his extra deck for a moment. There were different cards than 'Omega' in there, and he had never had the opportunity to summon most of them…

But now was his chance. It was time.

"I overlay X-Head Cannon and Mechanicalchaser!"

As the two monsters turned into energy, Vanguard noticed something strange about Double D. His eyes seemed to change, no longer the oceanic blue that he had noticed at the beginning of the duel. They were beginning to get dark…

Very dark…

"Strategic King! Use your blessed mind to claim victory, and show your opponents just how truly outmatched they are! Xyz Summon! Come forth! Argentum, the Mage King!"

In a flash, out of the Xyz Vortex comes a blonde mage, dressed in robes of red and purple, and wielding a staff with a black crystal in it, shining like a starry sky. He looks to Vanguard for a split second, before looking up to the mighty Golem before him…

And he smiled.

( **ATK: 2500** /DEF: 2000)

(ATK: 2500 + 1200 = **3700** )

"When Argentum the Mage King is summoned, I get to add a Rank-Up-Magic from my Deck to the hand!" Double D declared, "And the one I choose is… Rank-Up-Magic Equalizing Force! And now that I have done all the searching I want to do, I will detach one Overlay Unit to activate Argentum's effect! EAT THIS!"

(Argentum slams the bottom of his staff against the ground, and a blast of energy hits Vanguard square in the chest. Vanguard's LP: **5800** )

"Oh big deal!" Vanguard spat, "You can make me lose 1200 Life Points! Now what are you going to do!?"

"I will attack your Chaos Giant!"

Now Vanguard was deeply confused. He was going to attack a monster with 800 more attack than his monster had? Was the stress of battle starting to get to him?

"By attacking a monster that is stronger than mine, my monster would be destroyed!" Double D continued, "Meaning I can now activate Rank-Up-Magic Equalizing Force! Before being destroyed, I can Special Summon an Xyz Monster, and most importantly, make it's Rank equal to the monster I gave up!"

"Wait, what!?"

"So come on back, Omega the Magna Warrior! And this time, come back as a Rank 4!"

(In the place of Argentum, the Magna Warrior returns back to the field. **ATK: 4000** /DEF: 4350)

(ATK: 4000 + 1200 = **5200** )

"Now I can most certainly break that little trinket of yours!" Double D said with vigor in his voice. "Omega! Attack Chaos Ancient Gear Giant!"

(Omega the Magna Warrior flies up, before coming down and cutting Chaos Giant straight down the middle. Vanguard's LP: **5100** )

(Omega's ATK: **4000** )

"And with that, I end my turn!"

Vanguard clutches at his chest and lets out a growl. "Annoying little bastard. This is really starting to piss me off!"

"Then show me what you plan to do about it!"

"Very well, I will! Instead of drawing, I'll use Ancient Gear Power Plant to add Ancient Gear Core from my deck to my hand! Then, I'll banish Ancient Gear Mania."

Confusion covered Double D's face, as he looked to his Duel Disk to find the answer. And upon reading Ancient Gear Mania's effect, it was clear.

"So, by doing that..."

"I get an Ancient Gear Monster from my Deck straight to the field! So come on out, Ancient Gear Reactor Dragon!"

(A colossal mechanized dragon appears. **ATK: 3000** /DEF: 3000)

"And now that he is on the field, I'll special summon that Ancient Gear Core!"

( **ATK: 800** /DEF: 100)

"And now here is where the real fun comes in!"

Double D gulped in response to that. If he was so confident in this, what could it be…?

"With the summoning condition of two Ancient Gear monsters, I will Link Summon! Appear, Link-2, Ancient Gear Colossus!"

The two mechanized beasts on the field turn into raw red energy, as what looked like a mechanized octagon with pointers going out in all eight directions. The red energy forced its way into two of said pointers; one pointing toward Double D, the other pointing toward Vanguard.

… And from within the octagon, a burst of red energy rocketed toward the sky, and from within, came the beast that could only be assumed to be 'Ancient Gear Colossus'.

' _And colossus is right! This damn thing is huge!'_

The beast towered higher than any other Ancient Gear monster thus far, making both his master and opponent look like ants in comparison. It's outer layer was a brilliant silver, with a massive spike on the end of its left arm. Despite being so far up, Double D could see the red glow coming from its eyes.

And for a moment, he felt fear.

( **ATK: 2500** )

"Impressed?" Vanguard asked, a sick smile on his face. "Well get a taste of this! By banishing Ancient Gear Chaos Giant from my graveyard, Colossus can gain its effect, as well as half its attack!"

(A portal appears, which Colossus pulls Chaos Giant out of, before crushing it in its grasp. **ATK: 4750** )

"Well it still isn't enough! Omega the Magna Warrior will gain attack equal to its Leve-"

"And what Level would that be?"

Widened eyes was Double D's response, as he looked to his duel disk to find the answer. But he saw the truth of the matter, and the truth was something that he hated.

"So, Link monsters don't have Levels..."

"Bingo. So you know what that means! Colossus! Attack!"

With the command given, Ancient Gear Colossus threw its arm back, before slamming its fist right into Omega. The force behind this punch was so much that it was able to rip the Magna Warrior apart, its shredded remains falling to the floor, as the searing pain ran through Double D's body.

(Double D's LP: **5450** )

"And that's not even the end of it!" Vanguard announced, much to Double D's horror.

"What!?"

"By Ancient Gear Colossus' natural effect, it can attack TWICE during each battle phase!"

As the mighty golem's fist came down to attack, time seemed to stand still for Double D. Here he was, practically staring death in the face, from a machine that looked capable of killing him with a simple flick of the wrist…

And yet, he didn't feel that afraid? What did he feel?

As Colossus' fist slammed into Double D, sending him flying back with the force, he was able to ponder. What was it he was feeling in the moment? Because it most certainly wasn't fear. And it didn't feel like just rage. It was more… burning than those.

' _Add that on to the list of things pissin' me off today!'_ He ranted within his mind, ' _This bastard is really trying me, and I'm not gonna have it anymore! This is going to be the final turn, and one of us is going down! I won't let my host get taken down!'_

And in that moment, Double D began to realize exactly what it was he was feeling…

' _So the power is what's doing this to me, is it? Well you know what!? Do whatever the hell you want, power! I won't hold you back any longer!'_

(Double D's LP: **750** )

"I ACTIVATE MAGNET TOWER!"

Vanguard was taken aback by the force in Double D's voice, as he looked to the Trap Card that appeared on the field. Looking back to his opponent, he could see that the younger duelist had changed.

He was paler than before, and had a fist clenched in rage. Everything from his stance to his body language implied ferocity, and even the blood that trailed down from his mouth helped to give him an extra hint of beastly appearance.

But above all else, the most startling change was in his eyes. Before, he had been certain they were blue. But now, jet black orbs were what he was staring into.

And those black orbs were something to fear.

"At the end phase of a turn where I've lost more than 2000 Life Points," Double D elaborated, wiping the blood from his mouth, "I can special summon any Magnet or Magna Warrior monster from my deck, ignoring its summoning conditions!"

"Any of them?"

"Exactly! So knowing that, I'll summon Valkyrion the Magna Warrior!"

(The classic Magnet Warrior boss monster appears. **ATK: 3500** /DEF: 3850)

"And don't think that's the end of it, Vanguard!" Double D continued, "I'll next activate Rank-Down-Magic Equivalence Force!"

"Wait, Rank DOWN Magic!?"

"Damn straight! By banishing an 'Argentum' Xyz Monster, I can special summon 2 Xyz Monsters from my Extra Deck, whose combined Rank equals that of the banished monster! In this case, I'll summon Apprentice Mage Argentum and Magna Warrior Core!"

(A younger version of 'Argentum the Mage King' appears. **ATK: 1250** /DEF: 1000)

(A small energy core surrounded by the silhouette of a Magna Warrior appears. **ATK: 1750** /DEF: 1925)

"And that's not even the best part! I now get to add this card to one of them as an Overlay Unit, and the banished card to the other!"

It was at this, that Vanguard began to fear what the younger man had planned. He was not going to doubt him a third time in a row, considering that the last two times had ended with him losing his field. Whatever he had planned for these three, he needed to be cautious, even if 'Ancient Gear Colossus' dwarfed them all.

And that is when he realized one other thing…

' _I haven't even ended my turn yet! This is all stuff he's pulled off before even getting to draw!'_

"Is that all?" Double D called out, to which Vanguard could only reply with "... Yeah." The older man saw his opponent nod, as he drew a card from the top of his deck.

"I activate Trade In!" he declared, revealing a card in his hand. "By sending Berserkion the Magna Warrior to my Graveyard, I can draw 2 cards!"

He practically threw the card into the sky, before it burst into energy, and drew two more cards from his deck.

"Oh yeah! That's what I'm talking about! I summon Gamma the Electromagnet Warrior! And using his effect, I can Special Summon Beta, the Electromagnet Warrior!"

(A more modern version of Gamma appears. **ATK: 800** /DEF: 2000)

(A more modern version of Beta appears. **ATK: 1500** /DEF: 1500)

"And I think it's time to end it with one more Xyz Summon! I overlay my Level 3 Electromagnet Warriors! With these, I build the Overlay Network, and Xyz summon Gorgonic Guardian!" **(1)**

(A snake-haired naga creature appears. **ATK: 1600** /DEF: 1200)

Vanguard could only stare in shock at the massive field Double D had managed to assemble. It was an army in comparison to the field that Eddy and Littlefoot had made, and was even impressive by the standards that some of his fellow Dark Duelist's had made.

"But even with all of their powers, they can't hold a candle to my colossus!" He countered, this time sure that Double D had nothing else.

… But that sureness faded the moment he saw Double D's smile.

"I wonder about that," Double D replied, his voice almost taunting, "Because you see, Gorgonic Guardian has this nifty little ability. By detaching an Overlay Unit, I can negate the effects of any monster on your field, and bring its ATK down to 0! And if I recall correctly, that bitch-ass Chaos Giant's was only unaffected by Spells and Traps!"

Vanguard was speechless. This was something he couldn't have prepared for if he tried…

(Gorgonic Guardian lets out a screech, as Ancient Gear Colossus turns to stone. **ATK: 0** )

"Next, I'll activate Apprentice Mage Argentum's effect, targeting Magna Warrior Core!" Double D continued, "You take 300 damage times the Rank of Core - in this case, that comes out to 600!"

(Apprentice Mage raises his staff, and a blast of fire comes from it. Vanguard's LP: **4500** )

"And that's not even the half of it! I'll detach an overlay unit from Magna Warrior Core, targeting Sigma the Magnet Warrior in my grave! Now you'll take damage equal to that monster's attack points!"

(Magna Warrior Core lets out a powerful beam that hits Vanguard square in the chest. Vanguard's LP: **3500** )

It was dead silent for a moment, as Double D gave a very smug grin. "Well, would you look at that!" He declared. "3500 damage! And would you take a look at who hasn't attacked yet."

Looking to the field, Vanguard knew exactly what Double D was talking about. "No..."

"Yes..."

"NO!"

"Valkyrion the Magna Warrior! Destroy Ancient Gear Colossus, and END THIS DUEL!"

"I beg of you! Don't do this! I can-"

"It's too late for that now! VALKYRION! END IT!"

Not a second passed since the command was given before Valkyrion had moved. It raised its blade to the sky, and flew right for Colossus' chest. Metal pierced metal as Magna Warrior busted right through the larger beast.

Sparks flew from the giant mech, before it burst apart in a mighty explosion, flinging Vanguard back, and nearly blinding Double D with the light.

(Vanguard's LP: **0** )

( **Double D wins!** )

* * *

Double D fell to his knees, before letting out an animalistic roar. The adrenaline was still pumping hard through his body, and though his breathing was heavy and his head feeling light, there was no denying the power that he felt in this moment.

Forcing himself to stand again, he came over to Vanguard, to see if he was alright.

But what he saw immediately pulled him out of the power's influence. Vanguard was _fading away_ , and fast...

"Oh god!" He yelled, trying to think of a method to stop it. "What's happening!?"

Vanguard let out a heavy breath. "This is the way of the Dark Duelists, Double D. We get only 2 tries..."

Double D's eyes widened in horror, as he realized the implications. "So, are you... dying? Oh god, did I do this!?"

"Don't worry your foolish little mind about it." Vanguard told him with a dark chuckle. "It's too complicated for someone like you to understand."

The second he finished this second, the process picked up, and Double D could only watch as Vanguard disappeared. He was alone now, and all he could do was think...

"That was... weird."

"I'll say!"

Double D jerked his head back, as he heard the lovely voice from behind him. And at its origin, he found a lovely young lady to match. If he had to guess, she looked to be about 16, and was among the taller girls he had seen thus far - the only one taller that he had seen being Kelly. She had bright red hair, matched by the stripes on the sleeves of her pink undershirt, and the color of her skirt. Over said pink shirt was a yellow top, and had black leggings that complimented the red skirt and her red shoes.

But the thing that drew Double D in was her beautiful golden eyes.

"Double D, right? I'll admit, I was kind of shocked by that one," she told him, "Especially at that final turn. It was like watching a beast unchained!"

"Uh... th-thanks." Double D said, blushing majorly at being complemented because of acting like a madman. "I'm still kind of getting used to these powers. I don't even really know what they do."

"Looks like it might have had to do with Xyz Monsters, considering I've never heard of most of the monsters you summoned."

Double D nodded. "Yeah, I figured that part out. But now I'm noticing I'm... acting weird. I've never lashed out like that before."

"Well, don't worry about it." the girl told him reassuringly. "Everyone gets a little weird when they get their powers."

"I suppose. Though it also doesn't help that I don't feel too confident for the upcoming tournament rounds."

The girl put her hands on her hips. "And why not?" She asked, as if she couldn't believe Double D would say that. "That was some impressive dueling, especially considering I heard your deck needed some work."

"Wait, where'd you hear that from?"

"Robert."

Double D sighed. "Of course! It seems everyone knows that guy!"

The girl giggled. "Look, if it helps you to be cautious, then go for it. But don't let that hold you back from progress. Can you promise me that? I'd really like to meet you in the finals."

As crazy as it sounded, Double D found himself agreeing with her. There was just something about the way she said it that he felt like he could trust. It might just be the residual power talking, but he wasn't afraid to trust her.

"Alright, I promise." He said with a smile. "But can I at least know the name of who I'm promising?"

"It's Ayu Ayukawa." She told him, as she began to walk away. "And hopefully, I'll see you on my way to the top."

"Heh heh... I look forward to it."

* * *

After a few minutes of walking, Ayu found herself away from everyone. The Spade Sector was starting to fill up once again, people coming by either for lunch or for more practice. It was a good time to compose her thoughts for a second...

"So, you talked to Eddy's friend, did you? I thought we agreed we were going to keep the interactions to a minimum for now."

Or at least it WOULD be, if a certain eyepatch wearing brunette hadn't bugged her.

"Oh come on, Littlefoot," she countered, "That was my first time talking with any of them. And besides that, you dueled with one of them!"

"... I didn't exactly have a choice in the matter."

Ayu rolled her eyes, and sat down at a table. "Look, I know Robert warned us to give them some time. But I just felt like helping him after that."

"Why?"

She contemplated on why for a moment, and the answer seemed pretty obvious to her:

"I know exactly what it's like to be forced to accept a massive change. I'm sure you can relate, Littlefoot."

Silence reigned supreme for a few moments, before the brunette offered a quick nod. "Though I don't know if that's an apt comparison. At least you guys stayed your original species."

Ayu laughed at that, knowing he wasn't wrong. "Look, we agreed to do this only until the Tournament actually starts. And the fact is that it's tomorrow. So there's no need to worry about it."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right. Let's just hope Bella can teach them enough to last to the later rounds."

Upon seeing the confidence on Ayu's face, Littlefoot was immediately curious as to what she was thinking.

"Trust me," she told him, "After what I saw, I have confidence that they'll make it."

And at that, Littlefoot smiled. "That's good to hear."

* * *

 **Oh god, this chapter took SO much longer than it should have! DX**

 **So, I have been able to write even LESS often lately (if anyone ever tells you Senior Year is easy, they're lying), but luckily, it's almost over, and I can take some time off and relax a little.  
**

 **So, this is the chapter that introduced us to the person from Chapter 1. It was Ayu, the adorable little NOW-aged-up water duelist from Arc-V! : D**

 **And in addition, this chapter, I got to show off a pretty good duel, and make custom cards for Ancient Gears, one of my favorite Archetypes (though admittedly, I wish I could have fitted in more Golem). So, hope you guys liked that, and that you liked what the hell happened with Double D there, and getting the first glimpse of his Xyz Deck, and his ace card.**

 **Also...**

 **(1): Figure I should say, the new Master Rule STILL isn't in effect yet. But this will be the last duel where that is the case. Next time, Link Monsters are official.  
**

 **And now, onto Custom Cards! The part that is always so much fun!**

 **\- Brotherhood of the Magnets (SPELL): Gain 1000 LP for each "Magnet Warrior" you control. If this card is in your GY while you have 3 or more "Magnet Warrior" monsters with different names in your GY: you can banish this card; Special Summon up to 3 "Magnet Warrior" monsters from your GY, ignoring the Summoning conditions.**

 **\- Ancient Gear Mania (QUICK-PLAY SPELL): During the turn you activate this effect, you can Normal Summon 1 "Ancient Gear" monster in addition to your Normal Summon/Set. During either Player's Turn, except the turn this card is sent to the GY: you can banish this card from your GY; Special Summon 1 "Ancient Gear" monster from your deck.**

 **\- Ancient Gear Power Plant (CONTINUOUS SPELL): Once per turn, during your Draw phase: you can add 1 "Ancient Gear" card from your deck to your hand instead of drawing. You can only control 1 "Ancient Gear Power Plant". When this card is destroyed by a card effect: banish it.**

 **\- Ancient Gear Core (EARTH, Level 2, Machine/Effect, ATK: 800/DEF: 100): If you control another "Ancient Gear" monster, you can Special Summon this card from your hand. If this card is in your GY when you are Tribute summoning an "Ancient Gear Golem" or "Ancient Gear Golem - Ultimate Pound", you can banish this card in the place of tributing a monster on your field.**

 **\- Magnetism Draw (QUICK-PLAY SPELL): Shuffle any number of "Magnet Warrior" monsters you control with different names into your deck, and if you do, draw cards from your deck equal to the number of cards shuffled into your deck +1.**

 **\- Magnetic Equivalence (QUICK-PLAY SPELL): Activate this card while you control no monsters and your opponent controls a monster(s). Pay 1000 LP; Special Summon Level 4 or lower 'Magnet Warriors' from your deck until you control the same number of monsters as your opponent. You can only activate "Magnetic Equivalence" once per turn.**

 **\- Trap Trader (DARK, Level 1, Fiend/Effect, ATK: 0/DEF: 0): You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) by shuffling 1 set Trap card into the deck. When this card is summoned by its own effect: you can tribute it; take 1 Trap card from your deck, and set it on the field. You can only use each effect of "Trap Trader" once per duel.**

 **\- Omega the Magna Warrior (EARTH, Rank 9, Rock/Xyz/Effect, ATK: 4000/DEF: 4350): 3 Level 9 monsters. You can also Xyz Summon this card by using 3 Level 4 "Magnet Warrior" monsters you control with different names as materials. Once per turn: you can detach 1 Material from this card: Increase this card's ATK by 800 for every "Magnet Warrior" monster in your GY, also decrease the ATK of one of your opponent's monsters by 800 for each "Magnet Warrior" in your GY. When this card leaves the field, Special Summon 1 "Magna Warrior" monster from your deck, ignoring its summoning conditions.**

 **\- Sigma the Magnet Warrior (EARTH, Level 4, Rock/Effect, ATK: 1000/DEF: 1900): (This card is also Treated as a Machine monster) You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) by shuffling 1 "Magnet Warrior" monster from your GY into your deck. If Special Summoned by this effect: you can add 1 "Magnet", "Magnetic", or "Magnetism" card from your deck to your hand.**

 **\- Strength of the Meek (CONTINUOUS SPELL): All Level/Rank 4 or lower monsters you control gain ATK x200 equal to the difference between their Level and the Level of the monster your opponent controls with the highest Level.**

 **\- 4 Star Aether (SPELL): Activate this card when you control a Level/Rank 4 monster and no other monsters. Pay 1000 LP; Special Summon 1 Level 4 Monster from your deck. You can only activate 1 "4 Star Aether" per turn.**

 **\- Machine Beat (SPELL): Tribute 1 Machine-type Monster; draw 2 cards. Once per turn: you can banish this card from your GY; Special Summon 1 Machine-type Monster from your GY.**

 **\- Argentum, the Mage King (LIGHT, Rank 4, Spellcaster/Xyz/Effect, ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000): 2 Level 4 Monsters. When this card is Xyz Summoned successfully: you can add 1 "Rank-Up-Magic" from your deck to your hand. Once per turn, you can detach 1 Material; inflict 1200 damage to your opponent. When this card is destroyed, target 1 Level 4 monster in your GY; special summon it.**

 **\- Rank-Up-Magic Equalizing Force (QUICK-PLAY SPELL): Target 1 "Argentum" Xyz monster you control that would be destroyed (or before damage calculation, if it would be destroyed by battle): Special Summon 1 "Argentum" or "Magna Warrior" Xyz Monster from your Extra Deck, using the target as Material. (Materials on the target also become Materials on the Summoned monster) The summoned monster's Rank becomes equal to the Rank of the target for as long as it remains on the field.**

 **\- Ancient Gear Colossus (EARTH, LINK-2, Machine/Link/Effect, Links Down/Up, ATK: 2500): 2 "Ancient Gear" monsters. "Ancient Gear" monsters this card points to cannot be destroyed by card effects. Once per turn, you can banish 1 "Ancient Gear" monster from your GY; this card gains ATK equal to half that banished monster's ATK, as well as its effect, until your opponent's End Phase. This card can attack twice during each Battle Phase.**

 **\- Rank-Down-Magic Equivalence Force (QUICK-PLAY SPELL): Banish 1 "Argentum" Xyz monster from your GY; Special Summon 2 Xyz monsters from your Extra Deck whose total Levels equal the Level of the banished Monster, attaching this card to 1 of the as Material, and the banished monster to the other as Material. You can only activate 1 "Rank-Down-Magic Equivalence Force" per duel.**

 **\- Magnet Tower (TRAP): Activate this card on the end phase of a turn where you receive 2000 or more damage. Special Summon 1 "Magnet Warrior" or "Magna Warrior" from your hand, deck or GY, ignoring its summoning conditions.**

 **\- Apprentice Mage Argentum (LIGHT, Rank 2, Spellcaster/Xyz/Effect, ATK: 1250/DEF: 1000): 2 Level 2 monsters. If this card has an "Argentum" monster as Xyz material, it can attack directly, and any damage is doubled. Once per turn, you can detach 1 Material from this card and target 1 Xyz Monster you control; inflict damage to your opponent equal to the Rank of the target x300. This card cannot attack the turn you activate this effect.**

 **\- Magna Warrior Core (EARTH, Rank 2, Rock/Xyz/Effect, ATK: 1750/DEF: 1925): 3 Level 2 Monsters. You can also Xyz Summon this card by using 3 Level 4 or lower "Magnet Warrior" monsters you control with different names as materials. Once per turn, you can detach 1 material from this card and target 1 Level 4 or lower "Magnet Warrior" in your hand, field, or GY; inflict damage to your opponent equal to the target's ATK. This card cannot attack the turn you activate this effect.**

 **Now, I need a break after that. That burned me the heck out XP.**

 **So, as always, until next time!**


	6. Notice of Story Death

**Howdy. Gusto here, and I don't know if anyone is still on who cares about my stories, but I've got some news to share.**

 **So, for this story, it is undeniably dead, mostly because I left this account dead for a while. And some of the stories have been forgot, including the premises I was going for with them. And instead of continuing, I've actually got a different plan.**

 **So, for those of you who care, I've got a new account that I'll be writing on, and I've already started a new crossover fic that I have ideas for. It involves Code Lyoko, one of my favorite shows of all time. If that interests you, then check my profile to find the link to my new page.**

 **As for Duelist's World, well it's presumably not going to be continuing, just because I don't even remember where I was going with it. I'll keep up the 5 chapters I have written, but odds are they're not going anywhere.**

 **As for my writing involving Yu-Gi-Oh!, well, I've got an idea or two. I may revise and revamp my old 'Spirits of the Past' fanfic, since I had fun with that. I may do another crossover, another original project, OR I might do one that's been in my mind for a while now; an idea involving Arc-V.**

 **But that's all for now. We'll have to see where this all goes.**

 **I hope some of you will come check out what I have planned, but if you don't, then that's also fine.**

 **And now that you know, I guess I'll be on my merry way.**

 **Gusto out!**


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